Origins
by Alex Beckett
Summary: Everyone has an origin story about where came from, or how they became they way they are. This time, it regards Tinker Bell and her greater destiny.
1. I Need Your Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for what comes from my imagination. **

* * *

_How could you be so foolish? This is what you get for consorting with humans - wing removal, a cap on your magic and of course, banishment to a realm far outside your own!_

Tinker Bell stopped her self-loathing and her aimless wandering down a forest path for a moment and leaned against a tree trunk, taking deep calming breaths to steady herself.

But had it been worth it?

Blue had always warned her that any kind of close affiliation with a human outside of assisting them with a quest or moral dilemma would lead to misery and heartache because in the end, all humans were mean, deceitful, coldhearted and flat-out toxic.

Regina had certainly been toxic, forcing them to part ways. Tinker Bell wasn't too sorry about that, but she could have done without dear old Blue telling her off and reminding her for the umpteenth time to curb her pugnacious ways because she, Tinker Bell, was far too important to their kind to waste time being foolish.

The fairy had zero intentions of heeding Blue's words because if anything, she loved learning about the world around her, whether it was listening to the stories the explorers told, doing a bit of exploring herself, or grabbing a stack of books and reading for hours on end.

But had it _really_ been worth it?

Almost immediately, Tinker Bell thought of the one man who made her know straight away that yes, the rush and adventure had been worth it.

Captain Killian Jones, otherwise known as Captain Hook of the Jolly Roger.

He'd found her alone at a tavern table, so he sat next to her, claiming that no woman as beautiful as she should be drinking alone, as she was doing. The two hit it off immediately, and before long, they'd rented a room above the tavern and spent the entire night giving themselves to each other in every way possible.

Even though he departed on his ship in the morning and she stayed behind out of loyalty to the the fairies, she knew that every moment she'd spent with him that night had been truly worth it and that she'd never feel any regret about it.

* * *

"What shall we do now, my tiny love?"

Tinker Bell turned her gaze downward towards her distended midsection, to the area of her body that was housing her unborn child - the one that Killian didn't even know about, the child that she loved so dearly but couldn't keep.

She received a solid kick to her lower belly, which was quickly followed by a sharp cramp that made her grit her teeth while she waited for it to pass.

Her child was coming.

Tonight.

"Alright," she cooed when it finished and she started walking again. "Mummy will find some place for us to stay, but please just wait a little longer."

She received another hard kick, so she caressed her belly until she felt the child settle before she could let herself continue down the forest path.

As part of her punishment for giving herself to a human, she'd been banished to a foreign land and forced to roam it until she gave birth. Another part of the punishment was that she was forbidden to learn anything that could tell her about where she was.

What she definitely knew for sure were two things: tall tales were being told about the Wandering Lady Of Green, and also… whatever land she was in, it was dying out.

* * *

Eventually, just as she felt she could walk no more, she emerged from the woods and spotted a large castle at the end of the road.

Salvation!

The building was quite large and grand from what Tinker Bell could make out from the lit torches when she approached the drawbridge, but she wasn't really focused on that because the pain coursing through her body was incredibly crippling, and what was left of her magic wasn't doing much to stave anything off.

"Halt!"

Tinker Bell looked up to see one of the gate sentries judging her.

"State your business!"

"I just need a place for the night." She made a show of supporting her belly with both hands. "My child is coming, and I need shelter so I can have her in peace."

"Do you know whose castle this is, woman?"

Tinker Bell bristled; she was literally hundreds of years older than this man, and as the elder, it felt right to punish him for being rude. But she didn't.

"No, I do not."

"This is-"

The sentry was cut off by the sound of a small child running across the sound of the cobblestones towards them. Before the fairy could really process what was happening, a fair-skinned curly-haired boy whose clothing suggested royal status came running up to them, giggling. He couldn't have been more than six.

"I know who you are!"

Tinker Bell raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

The boy nodded eagerly and grinned such a wide grin that it was a small miracle that it didn't just leap off his little face.

"You are La Femme Errante En Vert, the Wandering Lady Of Green!" He furrowed an eyebrow. "I just wished on a star for someone to come help us, but I didn't think _you'd_ come."

"Is your papa the king?"

"No, because my papa and mama are visiting him, but I can take you to where they are, if you like."

"I'd like that very much, thank you."

Ever so innocently, he took her by the hand and led her across the courtyard and deep into the castle. Although Tinker Bell's magic was waning, she still had enough left to tell her that the curly-haired boy was going to be important when he grew up because the second he'd made contact with her, the anxious and restless child in her womb quieted instantaneously.

"May I ask you a question?"

Tinker Bell and the boy had stopped just short of a Great Hall of some kind. The little one's curiosity was enough to warm her heart and distract her momentarily from her discomfort.

"Of course. What is it?"

"What's your _actual_ name?"

"Tinker Bell."

"Does the baby have a name yet?"

"No, actually. What's _your_ name?"

The boy was about to reply when he was interrupted by someone else.

"There you are, my son. Where did you wander off to?"

This person, a woman who also looked to be of royal stature, had to be the boy's mother because she looked just like him, but also because she was glaring at him with the kind of sternness that only a mother was capable of giving.

"Maman, I went to wish on the stars for help because I just want all of the sadness to be gone so we can all be happy again!" The boy's words came out in a rush. "I think it worked because right after, the Wandering Lady Of Green appeared at the gate!"

That's when the boy's mother noticed Tinker Bell for the first time and jumped.

"Oh my gods! I am so sorry I did not see you!"

At this point, Tinker Bell could barely stand up, so the woman hurried over and supported her before giving her son a set of instructions in a foreign language. He disappeared into the room his mother had emerged from, while the woman herself whisked Tinker Bell to the nearby servant's wing and helped her lay down on the first bed they found.

"Here we go." The woman smiled kindly at her. "Just take it easy."

Tinker Bell only nodded as another cramp hit her, this one closer than the other had been. Seeing her discomfort, the other woman sat on the edge of the bed and held her hand while encouraging her to breathe through the pain. When it was over, she smoothed Tinker Bell's frizzy blond locks out of her face.

"Is this your first child?"

"She is, and forgive me for not knowing, but what is your name?"

As was the running trend of the night since Tinker Bell's arrival, one of her inquiries was interrupted again.

"Clémence, back away!" These words came from a stately dressed man who stood in the doorway next to a man dressed a little more grander than he. "The boy claims he found the Wandering Lady of Green, and there is no telling what kind of dangers she can wield!"

_"Our son _has a name, and I am not going anywhere!" Clémence growled at her husband. "This woman is with child, Benoit, and the child could come at any moment. Do you truly think that she poses any danger in her current state?"

"Enough!" declared the man standing next to King Benoit. "This is _my_ castle, which _I_ am king over, and I say that we help her by any means possible because according rumors has it that the Wandering Lady of Green is a fairy."

Tinker Bell finally got her say in. "Do not talk about me like I'm not here, your highness."

The king turned to her. "Are you of magical caliber?"

"What does it matter at the moment?"

"There wouldn't be any enigma surrounding you if you were an ordinary human like we are. Prove to me that you have magic."

Glad to have something to channel her discomfort into, Tinker Bell waved a hand over Queen Clémence's lap, making a soft yellow baby blanket appear. The queen picked it up and rubbed it between her fingers for inspection before looking back up at the king.

"This blanket is quite real, so she is telling the truth about being a fairy."

The queen's little boy crossed the room and sat next to his mother, completely ready to protect the beautiful fairy lady's precious cargo if he had to.

"Her name is Tinker Bell!"

"Very well." The king finally approached the bed. "What do you require?"

Although Tinker Bell could easily tell that this man was being kind to her just to ask for something else later on, she was appreciative of any help.

"For now, just rest, but perhaps later, a doctor."

The king nodded and left the room, taking King Benoit with with him while the queen and her son opted to stay behind to keep Tinker Bell company. Both mother and son were determined to do whatever they could to make her her comfortable, and Tinker Bell was almost overwhelmed by their kindness.

* * *

"PUSH NOW!"

Hours later, it was finally showtime and the royal doctor had arrived to help Tinker Bell deliver the baby. The kings had opted to stay out in the hallway while Clémence and her son were holding fast to support their friend.

"NO, I WILL NOT; THIS HURTS!"

Abandoning her dignity, Clémence climbed into the bed a propped Tinker Bell up against her body.

"I know that you can do it." She murmured gently. "Just think - your child is almost here!"

Inspired, Tinker Bell sat a little higher and bore down with everything she had.

Pretty soon, she felt her child leave her body and her heart went light when she heard the baby's first cries as the doctor declared the baby in perfect health. It was about twenty more additional minutes with Clémence and her son tending to the infant while the doctor helped Tinker Bell deliver the afterbirth before the new mother was able to hold her baby in her arms.

"Hello there, my tiny love." Tinker Bell's heart turned to goo as her daughter immediately scrunched up in a ball, trying to get closer to her. "It's so good to finally hold you and see you so I can tell you how much I love you."

It was true that Tinker Bell loved her child deeply, but her heart was already aching at the prospect of what she had yet to do.

When Clémence returned from seeing the doctor out into the hallway, she saw Tinker Bell fighting back tears.

"What's wrong?"

"I love my child more than words can say, but I cannot stay here, nor can I keep her." She kissed the baby again and wrapped the yellow blanket a little more snug around her tiny body. "I wish I could see her grow up, but I cannot."

"What's the meaning of this?"

Unable to stay out any longer, the kings had returned. Clémence became defensive.

"Have you no tact, Benoit?" she scolded her husband. "Tinker Bell was just saying that she cannot stay or keep her child."

The hosting king demanded an answer and when it was provided, he immediately felt pity in his heart for her because it was only a year previously that he'd lost his wife - Queen Hope - when she gave birth to their daughter, who ended up being born asleep.

"What can I do to help?"

"Take my daughter and raise her as yours. Don't let her know who I am, or what she could one day have the ability to do."

"Excuse me?"

"Take her." Tinker Bell reiterated, holding the baby out to him. "Please, your majesty? I'd rather have her stay here because it's forbidden for anyone of human blood to set foot in my realm, plus, the other fairies would mock her and ridicule her into humiliation, even for being half human. If she was here, she could be properly provided for and educated, right?"

The king nodded, still wondering if he'd be able to ask for a favor to save his dying kingdom. Tinker Bell saw straight through him.

"If you take her now, I'll restore your kingdom with my magic."

"Exactly what do you mean by 'restore'?"

"The crops and livestock will be plenty, and there will be peace and prosperity for all to enjoy."

"Deal."

"Are you sure? Magic always comes with a price."

The king sighed. "What is it?"

Tinker Bell snapped her fingers. "Once the sun rises, you will find your kingdom to be restored to its former glory and it will be enough to get you and your people through the next twenty-one years."

"Twenty-one?" The king echoed. "What will happen in the twenty-first year?"

"When she grows into a young woman, all will be lost forever if she does not find her True Love and get him to love her the way she will come to love him. If it works, your kingdom and all its inhabitants shall never know starvation and poverty ever again."

The king was too dumbstruck to say anything, so Tinker Bell turned to Clémence's little boy.

"Will you look out for the baby?"

He nodded seriously. "Forever."

"Thank you." Tinker Bell forced herself to smile. "Why don't you go find some books to read to her?"

The little boy brightened, and the second he was out of the room, Tinker Bell turned to the man holding her daughter.

"May I see her one last time?"

"Of course."

He moved closer and knelt towards the fairy.

Exercising great restraint not to pick her up and run, Tinker Bell kissed the infant's tiny forehead and a curious thing happened - a shockwave of light cascaded from the fairy and through the baby, sending a whoosh of air through the room before settling again. The baby responded only by letting out an audible sigh of contentment as she slumbered on.

"What just happened?" The king asked.

"I gave her the last of my magic. It isn't much, but I'm sure she'll discover it when she gets bigger."

A silence fell as Tinker Bell realized that this was it - after this, she'd probably never be able to see her daughter ever again. As she tried to keep back more tears, a cloud of green smoke ensconced her and when it settled, she found herself to be an inch tall and floating in midair, but not because of her own magic, as she no longer had any. She gave a sweeping bow to the three royals before her.

"Thank you, so much. I will never forget this."

Without another word, Tinker Bell closed her yes and accepted what was happening: Blue was nearby, and she was being summoned by her. Sure enough, when she opened her eyes, she found herself literally up in the clouds, held aloft by the woman herself.

"Hello, mother." She greeted her stiffly. "What do you want?"

"To tell you that your banishment is officially over. It's time to come home."

Already heartsick to be separated from child, Tinker Bell wasn't exactly jumping for joy.

"I don't know."

"Why not, Green?"

"It's _Tinker Bell _now, and I don't want to come home because I just gave up my child! I did it to give her her best chance, but I wanted her more than anything!"

Blue couldn't believe that Tinker Bell was pining over the child; she'd thought the banishment would've straightened her out.

"That child of yours is half human, and you are entirely fairy; how could you be so attached to her? You are the first fairy in the history of this _whole world_ to procreate _with_ a human, the _way_ humans do! What you did with that pirate nine months ago defies the nature, and it is _not_ okay!"

"Mother, I'm attached to her because I felt her grow inside me and kick me when she was big enough. I couldn't _not_ get attached."

Blue shuddered, completely repulsed at what her daughter was describing. "Stop this nonsense about babies growing on the inside and come home with me to the flower fields immediately!"

"No! I gave my daughter to a complete stranger before I could feed her or even give her her name, and it was a good one; not even a color name like what all fairies are given on the day they enter the world! On top of all that, I don't even know what realm we're floating over!"

Blue waved a hand of dismissal. "That is not your concern. Right now, you need to return home to prepare for your destiny."

"What if I don't want to go? Mother, I am three hundred years old - no longer a child! Let me make my own choices; nobody decides my fate but me!"

Blue surrendered. "You may go anywhere, Green, so long as it isn't with-"

"Killian. I want to go back to him, wherever he is."

Fed up with her daughter's pining and one-track mind, Blue raised her wand. "No! I forbid you to go back to that man because the _last_ thing this world needs is for you two to procreate again!"

"And just _what_ is wrong with me bearing another child?"

"The one whom you gave away is far too important to the future of this land, and when the time comes, she will have a hand in saving us all!"

"What, like a savior?"

Blue wanted to kick herself. "I've already said too much. You have one more chance to tell me where you want to be."

"If not with my daughter or my beloved, then I just want to die!"

Now Blue felt her heart swelling up with motherly love and concern for her daughter. As hard as she was on her, she loved her the way any decent mother loves her child.

In that split second, she made a choice as a mother that would haunt her forever.

"One day, you'll thank me for this. Just remember that no matter what happens, I _do_ love you, Tinker Bell."

"What are you - no, mother! I'm sorry, and I promise to be good, but don't wave your w-"

With a twirl of Blue's trusty blue wand, Tinker Bell was exiled to another land altogether.

* * *

_WHUMP!_

In a very unceremonious manner, Tinker Bell crashed face-first on a jungle floor and when she at up and looked around, she began to feel panic seep in because she had no idea where she was.

All of a sudden, she heard footsteps approaching, so she grabbed the nearest thing - a jagged rock - and drew back her arm, ready to throw it. What she didn't count on was who the footsteps belonged to. Standing before her, dressed in a crudely made outfit, was a lanky teenaged boy. He was holding a lit torch aloft and by its light, Tinker Bell saw that he was very curious.

"You don't have to be afraid." He said gently. "I won't hurt you."

"What's your name?"

"What's yours?"

Tinker Bell tightened the hold on her weapon, not in a mood to be trifled with. "I asked first."

"Put down the rock and I'll tell you."

"Why should I?"

"I have shelter. And food."

That was all it took for her to put the rock down. "Tinker Bell. My name is Tinker Bell."

"Hello, there." The boy pulled her to her feet and steadied her. "In case you were wondering, you are now in Neverland, the place where nothing but fun is to be had. I rule this place, and my name is Peter Pan."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the clouds above the palace, Blue was thinking deeply.  
Everything was going according to plan.

She had long ago foreseen the curse that Regina had yet to cast, although she'd already sped the process along by subconsciously planting the idea in the mind of the Dark One. He just had yet to figure out that he wanted to make it. Blue also knew that somehow in the process of things that her own sister, Maleficent, would get hold of the curse before Regina finally got around to casting it.

She'd sort that out when they got that point.

Above all, she knew that a savior was coming, who would save them all from the curse, but she had yet to be born.

There was also going to be a second savior to save them from the second curse, but if the original savior hadn't even been conceived yet, the second one was a long way off on the horizon.

For now, Blue would just bide her time… then everything would finally be hers.

* * *

Down below her in the palace, King Maurice of Avonlea was in a rocking chair by the fireplace in his bedroom staring in awe at his brand new daughter.

She was quite beautiful, what with her warm pinkish skin, perfect little hands, toes and fingers, long legs and arms, and a head of chocolate-colored hair. Her eyes, which she had finally decided to open, were like dark blue pools and the king didn't have the willpower to look away just yet.

"I suppose I'm your new papa, aren't I, beautiful girl? I love you."

Yawn. Whimper.

"None of that now." He soothed. "Somebody will be back soon with deer milk for you to drink, so don't worry."

Sigh.

"You still need a name, though. While Gaston was reading to you earlier, he was also suggesting names to you, but none of them stuck, so that means it's up to me to find something."

The baby stretched out and blinked up at him.

"So what will it be? Maisie? Violet?"

Another huge yawn.

"Lacey?"

The baby let out a squeak, almost like she was horrified.

"Okay, definitely not Lacey."

That's when Maurice noticed a name stitched into the corner of the yellow quilt his daughter was wrapped. Immediately in love with the name, he held one of her little hands to his lips and kissed it gently.

"Your name is Belle."


	2. Paradise Apparent

**Here's the second chapter!**

* * *

As the weeks passed, Tinker Bell continued to miss her daughter, but she also started to get used to life with the enigmatic Peter Pan and the Lost Boys of Neverland. For the first time in her life, she could come and go as she pleased, sleep, eat, explore and even _play_ wherever she wanted to.

Then of course, she was also beginning to enjoy being Peter's companion. He was always ready to have an adventure, explore or dance around the campfire with her and the Lost Boys. He was pretty cool, all around, and the nicest part was that he never questioned once why or how she had magically dropped from the sky.

But Peter was also still a child... whose presence reminded her that she had her own out there who was going to grow up without her.

* * *

"Tinker Bell, what's the matter?"

The fairy was perched on top of a small boulder overlooking Mermaid Lagoon, where Skull Cave sat. Beyond that was the horizon, although not much could be seen because the sun had just set. Curious about where his friend had gotten to, Peter had gone looking for her.

"I'm just thinking."

He climbed up and sat next to her. "What about?"

"Family. Do you miss yours?"

"Who says I have any family anywhere else _to_ miss? You, Felix and the boys are all I need." He took her by the hand, intending to help her down. "Let's go find Robin and see if we can make him talk in his sleep again. Ever since Theodore gave him that ridiculous lion tattoo, he's been insufferable. He's far more interesting when he sleep talks."

Unable to argue there, Tinker Bell let him help her back to the ground and just as the made it back to camp, Felix came running back, looking upset. Peter was very was very taken aback because he'd never seen his advisor quite this rattled before, and Tinker Bell, meanwhile, just kept her mouth shut.

"Felix, what's the matter with you?" Peter asked.

"Pirates."

With just that one word, Peter's regular casual posture changed to one that was defensive and warlike.

"Where are they?"

"Pulling up to the beach on the North Shore, just across the channel from Mermaid Lagoon."

"Then we shall just wait it out for an hour or two; the mermaids have ways of taking care of anyone they don't like who gets too close to their lagoon."

"That much is true," Felix conceded. "But we could also sneak up on them in an ambush."

"Give me one good reason why we shouldn't let the mermaids have some fun."

"Because the ship the pirates are sailing on wasn't just _any_ ship."

Peter lifted his eyebrows. "You don't mean it's _back,_ after all these years?"

The look in Felix's eyes could only be described as diabolical. "Oh, yes."

Unable to keep quiet any longer, Tinker Bell spoke up. "Will one of you be kind enough to fill me in?"

"The Jolly Roger is back," Peter explained to her. "And the pirate who captains it has topped my enemy list for quite some time."

"Who might that be?"

Tinker Bell didn't receive an answer because Peter had already moved on to rally the Lost Boys. That didn't take long and pretty soon, every boy in the camp was picking up whatever weapon they find and answering Peter's war speech with extremely enthusiastic war cries that made even the birds in the surrounding trees take flight in fear.

Swept up in the excitement and desire to kill pirates, the boys left Tinker Bell behind.

Except one - Felix.

"Looks like it's just you and me." He leered.

"So it is, but why didn't you go with them?"

"I didn't feel like it."

"But you're Peter's advisor, aren't you? Don't you have to be with him on the hunt for those pirates?"

"Not if I don't want to. I have certain privileges... and power."

Tinker Bell rolled her eyes; ever since her arrival, Felix had been trying to get her alone to seduce her. It was getting old.

"So if you jump, they all say how high?"

"That's a crude way to put it, but yes. At least the boys respect and fear me."

Remembering how most of the boys quaked in the boots whenever Felix glared at them menacingly, Tinker Bell chuckled.

"I've noticed that, and I hope that I'll have that kind of power one day, too."

"One day you will." Felix dug something out of his pocket and held it out to her. "Perhaps this will help you get on the right path. I hope it fits."

He was holding out a belt with a sheathed dagger attached to it. Tinker Bell had grown up in an environment where weapons were forbidden, and in the time she'd come to Neverland, this was the first real one she'd ever had. That, coupled with the intense combat training sessions Peter put her through on a daily basis, she was further down the path to having power than Felix knew.

"Th- what are you doing?"

She had suddenly realized that Felix was way too close in proximity to her body for her liking. Ignoring the inquiry and having finished adjusting the belt, Felix was now deliberately caressing Tinker Bell's waist, although his fingers were wandering lower and lower. The fairy waited until he made eye contact with him to hook her leg behind his knees and give a yank, effectively knocking him onto his back.

"What the hell was that for?" he wheezed.

"For putting your hands where they don't belong," she snarled, crouching down and holding her dagger to his throat. "And I am _not_ your girl!"

"That doesn't mean I can't fight you to take you away from Peter!"

In the blink of an eye, Felix was back on his feet and trying to take a swing at her. As was a trademark of her species, Tinker Bell was very nimble, so the only blows that she'd sustained were from when she let Felix hit her so he'd think he was winning.

"I'm not _your_ girl, nor am I _Peter's!"_ She barked at him. "Do _not_ make me say it any _more!"_

Felix lunged at Tinker Bell again, just wanting to cause her as much pain as possible. Using the dagger as means of self-defense, she struck him with it, unintentionally carving a line in his face from just under his left eye to the middle of his cheek. The cut was deep enough to draw blood and leave a scar.

Tinker Bell watched as Felix fell to the ground, cursing his revenge at her while trying to staunch the blood flow with one hand. In that moment, the fairy felt something snap inside her. She wasn't sure if it was a lifetime of oppression from her mother or the anger problems that had emerged from that, but she just didn't care. There was no turning back now.

"Do you know why I'm not going to be your girl or Peter's? You two are just _boys, _and besides: he's hung up on that stupid whiny Wendy-Bird we locked up in the cage last week, and sometimes, even _you!"_

Just for good measure, Tinker Bell gave Felix a solid kick to the gut as one last reminder to never touch her again.

When she was finally satisfied, she put away her dagger and went in search of the others, who were no doubt hiding in the jungle foliage surrounding the North Shore.

As she crept along, she recalled the name of the ship that Felix had spotted - the Jolly Roger!

During her night at the tavern with Killian, the pirate had said that that was the name of his ship, meaning that for whatever reason, Killian was actually _in_ Neverland!

Not that Tinkerbell didn't enjoy being the unofficial mama to Peter and his tribe, but in her heart of hearts, she knew that she belonged at the side of her beloved, exploring the world with him until the end of their days.

Now that Blue wasn't around to stick her nose where it didn't belong, Tinker Bell was free to be with Killian... so long as they didn't procreate again...

Should she tell Killian about that, or about how their one night together had made a child?

She really didn't know.

Although she had been quiet, creeping through the jungle, she'd gotten completely lost in thought, and ended up getting caught in a rope net trap that lifted her ten feet off the ground. Used to being the victim of the boys' pranks, she called out.

"Very funny, Robin, but it's time to let me down!"

Silence.

"Just because you've got that hood and now the tattoo, that still doesn't mean you're high and mighty!"

More silence.

Remembering her dagger, she took it out and started cutting at the rope frantically. If there was one thing she hated about the jungle, it was being aware of a possible danger nearby but not being able to see it. In her haste, the weapon slipped from her grasp and landed blade-first into the ground just as a new person strolled into the clearing.

He had fair skin and dark hair, and although he dressed like a pirate, Tinker Bell knew straight away that she was going to have hard time taking him seriously because he didn't look scary enough to pose a real threat. It really didn't help that he was wearing a bright red knit cap that looked it had been made by a family member.

Whoever he was, he noticed her immediately.

"And just who might you be?" He called up to her. "There aren't supposed to be any girls in Neverland!"

"I am a _woman," _she corrected sharply. "And never mind who _I_ am, _pirate._ This is _my_ home and you're _trespassing._ What are _you_ doing here?"

"Simply scouting around to see of there are any treasures worth bringing back to my captain."

The man picked up Tinker Bell's dagger and began cutting through the rope connecting the net to the tree.

"And I'd say that other than this beautiful dagger, I'd say that I found a very rare treasure, indeed: you."

The rope gave way, causing Tinker Bell to tumble to the ground and get tangled up in the net. Her new nemesis quickly undid the rope he'd been carrying on his belt and used it to bind the fairy's wrists together, and used the slack as a lead so he could take her with him. The finishing touch was a handkerchief tied around her eyes, completely blacking out her vision.

There weren't enough words to describe the humiliation the stranger was inflicting on her.

"Come, now."

He made a show of sheathing the dagger in his belt before yanking roughly on the rope, forcing his newfound captive to stumble along blindly - in the literal sense - just so she didn't fall over. The stranger yanked so hard on the rope that it cut into Tinker Bell's wrists that they bled.

"Please don't yank so hard." she winced. "I'm bleeding!"

"I do not care."

Thanks to her newly hindered vision, Tinker Bell felt slightly off-kilter, so she didn't even have time to react when the stranger slapped her clean across the face. It stung, but she only cried out a little bit and continued to hold her head high.

If the thought at any point that Tinker Bell was too pathetic, he'd kill her instead of bringing her to Killian.

Tinker Bell would be damned if she got this close to a reunion and it was denied of her.


	3. So Happy I Could Die

Poor Tinker Bell was now hurt, blindfolded and extremely humiliated as the stranger dragged her through the jungle and onto the sandy turf of the beach. At one point, she lost her balance and fell to her knees, but she was immediately hauled to her feet.

"On your feet for the captain!"

Tinker Bell was taken aback when instead of a rough touch like she'd been expecting, she felt a gentle touch to the small of her back as the the person held her close so they could take her blindfold off. When she was finally free, saw who her savior was.

"Killian."

"Hello, my love." he kissed her on the forehead, making Tinker Bell so happy that she could've died and gone to heaven on the spot. "I've missed you so much."

Peter, a short distance off, called out. "Wait just a minute! What's going on, here?"

Looking around, Tinker Bell saw that the beach was crowded, even for this time of night. For one thing, the Lost Boys were flanking Peter as they stood closer to the jungle bush, some with torches, some with weapons, while the pirates were clustered closer to the water, just in case they needed to make a break for the longboats, and the local people watched silently from another angle. Even the mermaids were present, basking in the shallows close to shore. Tinker Bell was only aware of them because of their glowing red eyes.

"Peter, I can explain." She held her still-bound hands out to show she meant no harm. "I can explain all of this."

"Then you'd better start," he snarled. "And where is Felix? Did you kill him?"

"No, of course not. All I did was teach him a lesson, but that is neither here nor there." Tinker Bell made her best effort to sound impassive. "The truth is that Killian and I met earlier this year and we fell in love, but became separated."

"How did you get here, _Tinker Bell,_ if that's even your true name?"

"Tinker Bell is the name I gave myself ages ago. My true name is Green."

"What kind of name is _Green?"_

"The kind I was given the day I was born because I'm a fairy."

"WHAT?" Peter screeched. "YOU'RE A FAIRY?"

A general wave surprised murmurs ran through the crowd, although the only one who didn't bat an eyelash at this was Killian, and that was because he already knew.

Outraged, Peter waved a hand, making Felix materializes beside him. The bleeding on his face had stopped, and when he noticed Tinker Bell, he tried to go after her. Peter, however, held him back and filled him in. When that was done, Felix was just as outraged and advanced towards the fairy, acting as his boss' mouthpiece.

"Why haven't we seen you do anything magical?"

"Because I was stripped of my powers, banished and sent here."

"Just what was your crime?"

"Falling in love with a human." (While this wasn't all of the truth, Tinker Bell was just taking some creative liberties in erasing the thin blue line surrounding her words from truth) "I would do it all over again, but as for now, I've been banished until the foreseeable future."

Felix rolled his eyes and turned to Killian. "How did you even know that she was here?"

"My old friend, Captain Sparrow of the Black Pearl; we were sitting together at a bar on the Isle of Tortuga, and he said something about hearing talk of a fairy being banished to Neverland."

Tinker Bell fought back a snicker because she knew her man was telling a bold-faced lie. There was no way in Heaven, purgatory or hell that Blue would've let that kind of information go, even under torture. Perhaps she'd get the truth out of Killian later.

Felix, to his credit, gave another eye roll. "Jack Sparrow may have tapped in the Fountain of Youth about three centuries ago, but he's also without a doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of."

"Ah, but you _have_ heard of him."

knowing this would drag on, Tinker Bell deliberately walked up to Peter, who was refusing to look her in the eye.

"Hey, now." She spoke gently and maternally, guiding his face towards hers. "I don't care to know what you have against my kind, but I just want you to know that these last few weeks that I've been here with you and the boys has really been the best time of my life."

Peter only made a noncommittal noise.

"I also want to share something I've learned here: you can't know what's in a person's heart until you truly know them. I wanted to believe that deep down, there was good in your heart and that you wanted more than power, but I was wrong. All I see in you now is a black heart, one of darkness."

"You just beat up Felix and gave him a cut that's already beginning to scar!" Peter countered quickly. "I'd say that there's plenty of darkness in your own heart, as well!"

"I only did that for self-defense, and the difference between my harmful actions and your own are that I know where to stop and draw the line!"

The boy in green frowned and narrowed his eyes at Tinker Bell. It was plain to see that he wanted to hurt her, but didn't dare now that she had the ultimate protection, so he moved on to Killian.

"Why are you and your crew here, Hook? We aren't going to have a repeat of what happened with the nightshade, are we?"

"Definitely not, mate. I came here looking for Tinker Bell, but also because I'm intending to do a favor for the locals. My business actually has nothing to do with you."

Peter began to protest, but Killian had already ignored him and marched over to the Indian Chief, who'd been watching their exchange the entire time. Killian bowed respectfully to him.

"Greetings, Chief."

The man just nodded absently; ever since his precious daughter, Princess Tiger Lily, was abducted by a band of merchants last year, he'd stopped caring about things in general. The only reason he'd shown up to this gathering was because the mermaids had gotten wind of the Jolly Roger's arrival and tipped him off before the Peter-Boy and his homely henchman, Felix.

"I understand that your daughter, Tiger Lily, was taken against her will, and although I don't know quite what it's like to experience the pain of a missing child, I can say that I ran into your daughter at the bar where I was chatting with Captain Sparrow."

Big Chief lit up. "Where is she? Where is Tiger Lily?"

Killian barked an order to one of his men - not Smee - who proceeded to help someone out of the longboats. Tinker Bell hadn't noticed her before because she'd been otherwise engaged, but when she focused in the torchlight, she caught sight of a teenage girl with light brown skin and hair as dark as coal dressed in a simple outfit run across the beach with her arms wide open. Her father caught her and swept her up in a happy hug.

Tinker Bell had to physically turn away because she knew she'd never get that chance with her own daughter, and now she wasn't sure if Killian would want her if he ever learned about her. That being said, Tinker Bell would never once regret being pregnant because she'd loved it.

When she turned back to the conversation at hand, she saw chief bowing to Killian.

"Many thanks to you, captain, for bringing my daughter home safely. What can we do to repay you?"

Normally, Killian would've asked for food or treasure, but the voyage with Princess Tiger Lily and then the voyage with Baelfire before that had given him a slightly different outlook on life, perhaps making him even a smidgen less greedy. If his crew was going to think him a softie for what he was about to do, then he'd just have to remind them of their proper places.

"There is nothing for this one that would suffice to the feeling of seeing a family together once more."

"Then at the very least, let it be known from this day forward that any time you, your lady companion and your crew return to Neverland all of you will be welcomed by my people for as long as you stay."

"You are most kind, Big Chief." Killian gave a final bow. "Thank you very much."

The chief actually smiled and then excused himself and his tribe from the gathering, saying that they had a celebratory feast to prepare. Disinterested now that their allies had departed, the mermaids dove back into the water, swimming in the direction of their lagoon.

That just left Peter and the boys.

Peter made it clear that if Tinker Bell and Killian returned to Neverland, they would no longer be friends. That suited the fairy and the pirate just fine, but as they turned to leave, Tinker Bell noticed that one of the Lost Boys was looking hesitant.

Robin.


	4. Video Games

All activity halted when both parties realized a stand off was happening.

"Robin, what are you waiting for?" Peter sounded agitated. "Come on!"

Never having been one to respond well to peer pressure, Robin stepped back, shaking his head.

"No, Peter. I don't want to go with you anymore."

"Then what do you want?"

"To go exploring and do something with my life."

"Don't tell me that _Green_ went and turned you soft." The older boy scoffed.

"Her name is _Tinker Bell_ now, and her stories of seeing the world have inspired me."

"If you wish to go with her and the good captain, you are dead to the rest of us forever. Turning your back on your family is unforgivable."

"Then I want no part here anymore."

Understanding he was at the point of no return, Robin turned to Killian.

"Please may I come with you and your crew, captain? I promise I won't stick around forever, just until I find a new land where I can make my own way in the world."

Killian hesitated, remembering his recent voyage with Princess Tiger Lily, and the voyage with Baelfire before that. Having them around had been the closest he'd ever come to having children of his own, and now here was Robin - who didn't look a day over sixteen - and he actually wanted to _join_ the crew. What was going to happen when he, too, departed their company?

Tinker Bell answered on Killian's behalf. "Of course you can come with us."

Relieved, Robin quickly crossed the short distance over to the pirates' part of the beach. Peter just waved a hand, causing him and the Lost Boys to disappear into the jungle. Tinker Bell, Robin and the pirates as the last ones left on the beach.

Killian finally regained control over his ability to speak. "Welcome to my crew, lad. Prepare yourself for the adventure of a lifetime."

"He needs a proper pirate name before we can go any further." Tinker Bell said suddenly. "He's very kind, but also extremely brave. Someone like that deserves a good strong name to show off their character, wouldn't you say?"

"Aye." Killian surveyed Robin, stopping at his tattoo. "When did you get the mark of the lion on your wrist?"

"A few days ago, sir, same as when Tinker Bell finished my hooded cloak and presented it to me."

It was true - as a sign of good friendship, she'd made the boy a warm hooded cloak to wear.

"Then from this day on, you shall be known as Robin Hood the Lion-Hearted."

"Thank you, captain."

Killian just nodded and dismissed him before turning to Tinker Bell.

"Nobody is in our way anymore, my love. We're finally free."

"And I am so glad, although there is this little matter."

Tinker Bell indicated her bound wrists, and her lover made quick work of the rope by slicing through it with his hook. The second the fairy was no longer bound, she let out a wince and stumbled. Moving quickly, Hook caught her and hoisted her into his arms, bridal style.

"What is it?"

Tinker Bell examined her wrists to see that the blood from the chaffing of the ropes against her skin had dried. However, another trademark of her species had just kicked in: the lower a fairy's magic, the more susceptible they were to pain, although they still felt it on a higher level than a human would.

"It's my wrists, Killian; they hurt."

"Then rest easy, and we'll be aboard the Jolly Roger soon."

* * *

When she came to, the first thing Tinker Bell was aware of was that she was in Killian's cabin aboard the Jolly Roger, and that they were already out at sea. The second thing she noticed was that Killian was just finishing with dressing her wounds, a task that was no easy feat when he was a one-handed man with a very large amount of pride.

Seeing that she was now awake, he helped her sit up. "How are you feeling, love?"

"Sore, but I'll be on the mend in no time, I'm sure. How long was I out?"

"Not very long."

As Tinker Bell stretched out, she realized that the belt Felix had fixed around her waist earlier was missing, as was the dagger.

"Are you looking for your belt and dagger?"

"Yes, but mostly the dagger because it's my only weapon. Mister Smee took it when he captured me."

"That man's lust for treasure and rare objects almost rivals my own and will one day lead him to his undoing, but I will get you a better dagger when we reach our destination."

"Which is where?"

"The Isle of Tortuga."

"Where you _'ran into'_ Captain Sparrow, who _'conveniently'_ told you where I'd been banished to, if I recall your words."

"Alright, he _was_ there and he _did_ point out the table at which Princess Tiger Lily was with her captors, but it wasn't he who told me you were on the island."

"Then who?"

"The Black Fairy."

Tinker Bell's mouth fell open, aghast. "How did _she_ know? How did _Maleficent_ know where I was?"

"She would not tell me, although, I suspect she's equipped with dark magic that could lead her to you, if ever she pleases. All that matters is that you and I found each other."

"I suppose." Tinker Bell mused, absently running her fingers over the hem of her dress. "When we get to this Isle of Tortuga, will you get me new clothes? I don't want these; they remind me of the old me, who I left behind."

Killian kissed her on the forehead. "I will give you whatever your heart desires when we get the Great Tortuga Marketplace."

Tinker Bell grinned at him. "May I ask you something?"

He sat opposite her on the bed, cross-legged. "Anything, love."

"What is it that _your_ heart desires most?"

"To be honest, my heart's desire is to be a father. I know that as a pirate, children don't often fit well with that image, but being a parent is what I really want, and the only woman I want to have children with is you."

Tinker Bell did her best not to cry or tell Killian about their child they'd already made.

"Would we have little boys, or little girls?"

"The first one would be a girl." He decided. "She'd be incredibly clever, and we'd raise here onboard. She would also be the most protected child in the world because she'd be around the most loyal and fearsome band of pirates alive. My men would never let any harm befall her."

"We'd have our own little pirate princess. What would we call her?"

"Belle, because that means beauty, and any child that you and I make together will be very beautiful, indeed, although she'll more than likely get most of it from you."

Killian regarded his love with a look of complete curiosity.

"Tink, do you want children, as well?"

"Yes, b- what are you doing?"

The moment she'd said yes, Killian had hiked back Tinker Bell's dress to expose her stomach and began planting featherlight kisses on her skin. Tinker Bell could only sigh in contentment, especially when Killian realized she was enjoying it.

"I'm just imagining what you're going to look like with our child growing in there."

Tinker Bell ran her hand through Killian's hair. "When is it that you envisioned us having our pirate princesses and princes?"

"Not until my heartache is fully healed."

Hearing the vulnerability in Killian's heart, Tinker Bell immediately pulled him into a hug and was unsurprised when he started crying quietly. They both knew that she was the only person in the world he'd display this much vulnerability to. She was his heart.

Tinker Bell made soothing noises and rested an ear on Killian's heart because it'd been far too long since she'd heard his heartbeat.

Afraid that this was all just a dream and that she'd vanish the second he awoke, the pirate tightened his hold on the love of his life.

"Please don't let go yet."

"I promise you I won't." She whispered. "I love you with all that I have, Killian. Please let me in."

This time, it was he who pulled her closer. "Just let me hold you for a moment."

Tinker Bell agreed, and laid against him, continuing to listen to his heartbeat, all the while having faith that he'd tell her soon enough.

Even at that, both pirate and fairy knew that against all odds, they were going to be together for the rest of their days, deeply in love.


	5. Titanium

The years flew by, and Blue watched over her daughter, as well as her granddaughter, but without either of them ever knowing.

Unsurprisingly, Tinker Bell grew to be a pirate, and formed an incredibly strong bond of love with Killian and both knew that it would never easily be broken. After much deliberation, Blue decided that it would be for the best if she checked on Tinker Bell in every few years to make any 'course corrections' if need be, so she didn't alter baby Belle's greater destiny.

Speaking of whom, Belle grew up to be very smart and extremely beautiful, but blissfully unaware of her lineage or her adoption. For all of that, Belle had inherited Killian's determination and Tinker Bell's hardheadedness, which meant that whenever she had something weighing on her mind, she voiced her thoughts without hesitation.

What had been bothering her for a few years was a topic of heavy debate: marrying Gaston, her lifelong protector turned betrothed. Avonlea was falling to the ogres, all because Belle was nearly twenty-one and hadn't found her True Love yet. Not that she knew that part of the deal.

Belle strongly believed in the freedom to choose her own fate, especially because she really didn't like the person that Gaston had become. Three months ago, he'd gotten disgustingly drunk and raped her, saying that it was time she gave him no less than seven sons because she was 'in her prime,' and he wanted heirs to rule the throne in his kingdom one day.

Gaston spilled his seed inside Belle, but that act also activated the magic that Tinker Bell had long ago passed down to her daughter, and it manifested in the form of a distinctly split personality whose exclusive purpose was to defend the hosting personality by any means necessary. The personality took on a life of its own, calling itself Lacey.

Needless to say, Gaston became frightened of Belle after Lacey almost beat him to a bloody pulp and vanished just as quickly as she'd arrived. Belle did not fall pregnant from those course of events, and she remembered being. Lacey, but chose not to say anything at all.

Then came the passing of Queen Rachel - the king's second wife - when she died giving birth to a stillborn baby boy. Both the king and Belle mourned their deaths greatly, although he coped with it by trying to drink his misery away while she took to her books, desperate for new stories and knowledge to distract herself with.

It all drove the king to resort to desperate measures: asking the Dark One for help. He had a feeling he was going to regret it, but Belle was just fascinated by him.

Did she expect her actions that fateful day to conclusively change her life?

Of course not.

* * *

The imp had made himself way too comfortable on the king's throne and was now mocking them all for the castle's inability to keep him out.

"Well, that was a bit of a letdown! You sent me a message, something about, Help! Help! We're dying. Can you save us?"

Gaston drew his blade on the visitor, who merely smacked it away, unimpressed and annoyed that he'd been interrupted.

"Well, the answer is yes. Yes, I can protect your little town... for a price."

Glad that they were getting somewhere, the king responded quickly. "We sent you a promise of gold."

"Ah… now you see, um…" the Dark One was taking too much delight in stringing them along because they were hanging on to his every word. "I uh… _make_ gold. What I want is _her."_

"No."

He was pointing at Belle, whose heart leapt because she was being presented with an offer to be free of Gaston, and also because the second she'd made eye contact with the strange man, she'd felt a spark of connection, at the same time feeling sadness and loneliness rolling off him in waves.

Gaston ruined the moment by shielding Belle, disrupting the connection.

"The young lady is engaged to me."

"I wasn't asking if she was _engaged; _I'm not looking for _love!_ I'm looking for a _caretaker_ for my rather large estate. It's her, or _no_ deal."

He wasn't willing to admit it, but he'd also felt the same connecting spark that Belle had, and at the precise moment, too. He'd never experienced anything like it before and was now desperate to take her with him because he found her equally fascinating.

"Get out!" the king snarled. "Leave!"

"As you wish."

The green scaly-skinned man began moving towards the door and Belle moved forward, trying to catch one last glimpse of him, but Gaston blocked her way again. Deciding that she'd had enough, Belle broke away and called out.

"No, wait!"

The Dark One stopped walking and turned to face Belle as she walked over, studying him.

"I will go with him!" She told the room at large.

"Belle, no!" Gaston interjected immediately.

"No one decides my fate but me!" She fired back. "I shall go."

The Dark One felt it only fair to warn the girl. "It's _forever, _dearie."

Heeding his words, Belle stared him down, determined to show him that she was unafraid. "My family… my friends… they will all live?"

"You have my word."

"Then you have mine." She decided. "I will go, with you, forever."

The Dark One actually let out an almost childish cackle of delight. _"Deal!"_

The king tried one last time to reason with Belle, not because she was the savior of Avonlea and was about to walk out of his life altogether, or even because she was the only one of his children to survive into adulthood and thus become the only surviving heir to the throne. More than anything, Belle was his daughter, whom he'd loved and raised for almost twenty-one years.

"Belle… Belle… you cannot do this! Belle, please! You cannot go with this… beast!"

The princess turned to her father and then her fiancé in turn, speaking simply and calmly. "Father… Gaston… it's been decided."

Just those three words launched the king's heart into a downward spiral. The end of the war was in sight, thanks to the imp, but he'd paid the ultimate price: never being able to see Belle again. Ever.

The Dark One sidled up next to Belle, claiming her as his with just his body language. "You know, she's right - the deal is struck."

In an attempt lighten the mood, he tacked on afterthought with another cackle. "Oh - congratulations on your little war!"

* * *

The second they were out of earshot and eyesight of the throne room, the Dark One teleported them to his castle in the Infinite Forest. Belle hadn't been sure what to expect, but all of her fearlessness had evaporated the second she noticed that he was leading her towards a dungeon door.

"Where - where are you taking me?"

"Let's call it… your room."

She was taken aback because she knew she was being misled. "My room?"

He stopped in front of the door and opened it. "Well, it sounds a lot nicer than _dungeon."_

Without another word, he pushed Belle inside and closed the door behind her, locking up before walking away.

This time, both of the castle's occupants felt their hearts grow heavy with every step the Dark One took away from Belle, although neither of them had any idea that the Blue Fairy was high up in the clouds above Dark Castle, casting a very powerful intertwining spell that would keep the princess' heart intertwined to the imp's - and vice versa - for the rest of their lives. It would be up to them to figure out on their own that they were in love.

"You can't just leave me in here!" Belle banged on the dungeon door, but it was to no avail. "Hello? Hello?"

There was no answer because the Dark One was already in another part of his castle, working at his favorite spinning wheel and wondering exactly what he'd gotten himself into.


	6. The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Months passed, giving Belle and Rumplestiltskin time to get used to each other and admit to themselves that they were falling in love.

Once Belle discovered her employer's favorite things to have at tea time or with his meals - and convinced him that she wasn't plotting to poison him - she'd make them with great care, taking delight in watching him light up with appreciation. That was always worth it. In return, he'd conjure up a new trinket, book or wardrobe item and leave them around the castle for her to find.

Sometimes it felt like they were married.

But then there were the days when Rumplestiltskin would fly into a rage, and storm around the castle for hours until Belle would catch up to him and hold him, soothing him until he was calm again.

Today was proving to be one of those days because Robin Hood - who was all grown up and doing his own thing now - had broken into the castle with the intentions of stealing Rumplestiltstkin's magic wand.

Rumplestiltskin captured him and tortured him for awhile, but when he left, Belle ran to Robin Hood immediately and freed him from his iron shackles.

As Belle tended Robin's wounds to the best of her ability, Robin recalled how Tinker Bell used to protect him when he was picked on first by Peter and the boys, and then later by Killian's pirates. The thief had no way of knowing that his former protector was the mother of his current rescuer, but being the honorable man he was, he offered Belle a chance to run away with him. Belle politely declined, so Robin caught his losses and ran from the castle as fast as he could, still managing to take the wand.

The second Rumplestiltskin realized that Robin was gone, he freaked out and set off on a quest to take retrieve the wand and kill the thief. Belle went along - not that she had much of a choice - and was currently trying to talk him out of his plan.

* * *

"You know, it's not to late to turn back."

Rumplestiltskin ignored her and continued walking along the path, listening and looking for signs of Robin. Belle tried to sound a little stronger.

"You know, I am not got to sit by and watch you kill a man."

"Yeah, but you _are_ gonna watch. That's the point of our whole expedition, remember?" He stopped walking when they entered a small cliff top clearing and prepped the bow and arrow. "To see what your actions wrought."

Rumplestiltskin looked around for the thief, who turned out to be hiding behind some trees down below.

"Found him."

"Look, he…"

Belle tried again to distract Rumplestiltskin from killing Robin but grew distracted when she saw two men on horseback ride up on the footpath with a flatbed wagon in tow. The two men disconnected it from their horses and rode off again.

"He's waiting for someone."

No sooner had the rest of Belle's words escaped her lips when they saw Robin run to the wagon occupant: a sickly woman who was coughing up a storm. Robin ran to her, and Belle's heart went out to the pair as she began putting the pieces together.

"That woman..."

"That must be the one he stole from the sheriff." Rumplestiltskin surmised.

"She's sick; she's going to die."

The sorcerer brushed her words off and took aim with his weapon, but Belle put a hand on his arm, pushing it down.

"Stop!"

He obeyed immediately, inwardly cursing his inability to ignore Belle's words for long.

Together, they watched as Robin used the stolen wand to heal the woman in the wagon, and when it was done, Belle smiled in relief.

"I'm _right_ about him, about why he stole the wand - he did it so he can heal the woman he loves!"

"He's still a thief."

"And he would have died if he hadn't stolen your wand."

Remembering that he was supposed to be angry, he repositioned the weapon yet again.

"And now _he_ gets to die, and she can tell all of Sherwood Forest what happens when you cross Rumplestiltskin!"

He waved a hand in Belle's direction, and the next thing Belle knew, she was buried from the waist down in the dirt, stuck fast.

"There! That should give you a good view!"

On the verge of tears, Belle glanced up at Rumplestiltskin in true desperation. "You don't have to do this, there's good in you! I was right about the thief, and I am right about you!"

Rumplestiltskin lowered the how, but didn't say anything. Damn this woman's hold over his logic and reasoning skills.

They watched the other couple again, this time to see Robin help the woman they deduced to be his wife stand up so he could help her out of the wagon. When she stood, Robin took an extra effort to steady her because at glance, it was plain to see that she was heavily pregnant.

Belle's heart actually turned a somersault at the sight and for some reason that she couldn't explain, she had a vision into the future that showed the little boy in the other woman's womb achieving a monumental task that nobody but him would be able to do otherwise.

"Look - she's _pregnant!_ You are _not_ the kind of man to leave a child fatherless!"

Belle had a point because she knew about his lost son, and she also had a frightening ability to see into his heart and rekindle what little left he had of love in the fiber of his being. Perhaps killing the thief wasn't such a good idea, after all.

He still fired the arrow, anyway. Belle hadn't been expecting this because she thought she'd dissuaded him, so she cried out.

"No!"

Then, much to her surprise, instead of striking Robin Hood in the heart, the arrow made its mark on wagon, causing the thief and his wife to have a reality check and look around to see where the arrow had come from. They saw no one because of the cloaking spell Rumplestiltskin had quickly conjured to hide him and Belle from sight.

At any rate, Robin held his wife close to protect her. "Marion, we must go."

She nodded in agreement, and the moment she and Robin had climbed onto the back of Robin's awaiting horse, they were off.

Still in the ground, Belle gave Rumplestiltskin a look of disbelief. "What happened?"

He set the bow against a nearby tree and tried to wrap his mind around what he'd just done.

"I missed."

With a wave of his hand, he freed Belle.

"Get back to the carriage. I'm bored of this forest."

"You're… you're not going after him?"

"He's not worth the effort."

Belle felt pleased with herself, knowing that she had such an influence on him. "You spared his life."

"What? I did nothing of the sort."

"That bow has magic in it." She reminded him. "It never misses its target."

"Well perhaps the magic simply wore… off…"

It had been his every intention to maintain as much control over the situation as possible, but there she was, happily invading his personal space and even his sharp senses as a slight breeze blew through the air, enveloping him in the scent of her vanilla perfume. Belle was his aphrodisiac, and now she was looking at him with so much love and adoration that it was extremely endearing.

Sorely tempted to kiss the man before her, Belle decided against it and opted for hugging him instead. Quite taken aback, Rumplestiltskin almost forgot to catch her, but he did and managed to deepen the hug because he really didn't want to let her go and cut off their strongest connection yet.

Belle pulled away first and started heading back towards the carriage, but Rumplestiltskin remained rooted to the spot, as it dawned on him that he was truly in love with Belle and would now go to the ends of the earth for her if she asked him to.

Seeing that her companion wasn't beside her, Belle turned back and gave him a pouty expression. "Aren't you coming?"

Little did either of them know that Belle's fairy genes, coupled with Blue's intertwining spell, were hard at work in creating a very strong bond of true love between Belle and Rumplestiltskin that would one day prove stronger than Tinker Bell's bond with Killian.

Rumplestiltskin started moving, so Belle continued back to the carriage. If she'd looked back as Rumplestiltskin gathered up the empty bow, she would've seen a curious expression on his face: one of a man who was hopelessly in love.

* * *

Upon returning to the castle, Rumplestiltskin decided to give Belle the rest of the day off. She thanked him and sat on the chaise lounge chair in the dining room to read a book, while he worked a few feet away from her at his favorite spinning wheel. After a few minutes of spinning, he gave up and sat next Belle on her chair.

"May I ask you something?"

She set her book aside and nodded. "Go for it."

"You explained once why you came with me, but what about the things you wanted for yourself?"

"Like being happy?"

"Yes, exactly."

She bumped her shoulder against his. "I _am_ happy. Some of the things you do are quite reprehensible, but today, when you spared the thief's life, that showed me that you still have good in your heart. As long as I have you by my side, I will always be happy because you're all I need."

Her words turned his heart to goo, but he quickly reeled himself back in. "Surely you dream of being a mother."

"I won't deny that." Belle admitted sadly. "I love children, and I'd love to feel a baby of my own turning and kicking inside me, but I'm just going to have to put that aside."

Her heart broke a little and she caressed her belly, grieving over an empty womb. Rumplestiltskin pulled Belle onto his lap, wanting to say something to her, but words were failing him. However, Belle was comforter by the touch alone, so she snuggled closer to him.

"Perhaps one day, when you find your son, I'll be able to find a little boy or a little girl in need of a home and adopt them."

"I'm sure it'll happen when you least expect it, Belle."

"For a boy, I've always fancied the name Ezekiel because it means strength. I just don't know what I'd choose for my daughter, though."

"Then perhaps you'd like something along the lines of Leonora. It means light and compassion."

Belle tried the name out. "Leonora… that's very beautiful. How do you know so much about names?"

"When you've been around as long as I have," he deflected. "The amount of knowledge that one amasses is vast."

"And then when little Ezekiel or Leonora gets bigger, you can teach them about magic."

"So they can surprise you with new necklaces like this one?"

With the flick of a wrist, he produced a long thin silver chain and fixed it around her neck, taking time to push back her hair and plant a few kisses on her newly exposed skin.

"They'll have to work their way up to that."

Belle's words were coming out in sighs and giggles because she'd never been touched so intimately by someone who loved her. She even let out a soft gasp when she felt his tongue come into contact with her skin. She wanted to go to bed with him, but she knew they'd both regret if they made love for the first time simply because they were caught up in the heat of the moment.

"Start them on the little spells before they start learning how to make me things with magic, but don't forget to teach them healing spells for when they get hurt."

"You have my word." Rumplestiltskin used his tongue on Belle's neck again. "Take a look on the end of that chain, dearie."

Curious, Belle did so to find a simple gold band infused with diamonds hanging from the chain.

"This ring is beautiful. Thank you."

He pulled her back to him for another hug; she gave the best hugs. "You're very welcome."

The fairy princess continued to lean against him while she reexamined the ring. "Is this a marriage proposal?"

"What? No, no, no. It's a promise that some day in the future, after everything is all sorted out, you and I will have our happy ending together. The ring will also be on your finger."

Belle grinned. "I like the sound of that."

"May I ask you another question?"

"Of course."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty. No, wait - I'm actually twenty-one now." Her smile faltered. "Today is my birthday."

Determined to cheer her up and make the most of what was left of their day, Rumplestiltskin set Belle on her feet before standing on his own and bowing regally before her.

"What would you like to do today, m'lady?"

"How about we start with exploring in the forest and then stop for a picnic when we get hungry?"

In response, Rumplestiltskin snapped his fingers and Belle's favorite green and yellow traveling cloak was back on, covering her yellow dress. Even her favorite traveling shoes and gloves were back on her feet and hands. Rumplestiltskin was also dressed for exploring, he also had a fully stocked picnic basket in one hand.

Straightening up, he extended his free hand to her. "Are you ready to go?"

Belle put her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Absolutely."

* * *

After a long day of exploring, having a picnic and then stargazing after sundown, Belle and Rumplestiltskin were back in the castle, where he presented her with one last gift: an exquisite and fully furnished bedroom next to the library. Overwhelmed with kindness, Belle rewarded him with a true smile.

"Thank you so much, Rumple."

"Anything for you, Belle, in this life and all the ones after." He replied sincerely. "You are my heart."

"And you are mine." Wrapping both arms around her neck, she smiled up at him. "I love you."

Rumplestiltskin put his hands on Belle's waist as an excuse to hold her, but also to steady himself so he didn't fall over.

"I love you, too, and it's with everything I have."

Both of them knew now that they were going to be together happily for the rest of their lives, no matter what happened or how many people would disapprove.  
Belle and Rumplestiltskin were soulmates, and nobody was going to take that from them, come hell or high water.

And once again, they had no idea that Blue was watching over them from a hiding spot high up on the clouds, this time telling herself that only a few more cogs needed to be set in the wheel before she could return all of the realms back to their rightful state of unified darkness.


	7. So Cold

**For Grace and MercyFrost, the curious ones ;)**

* * *

The Blue Fairy had been around for as long as anyone could remember, but even to the woman herself, her true origins were a mystery.

She didn't spend her early years alone, though, because Glinda, the Good Witch from the land of Oz had adopted her when she was a baby. The way that Glinda told it, she was passing through a land that was barren and boring, save a few huge fields of beautiful but oversized tulips.

The biggest one - with alternating colors of blue and black - was really struggling to open, so Glinda eased the petals apart where she discovered baby Blue and baby Maleficent tucked inside, just as tiny and helpless as human babies.

Glinda decided to adopt them, and it wasn't long before she discovered their magical abilities, or that Blue was the happiest baby ever while Maleficent actually sulked.

The three of them lived together for a century as the flower fields grew and the fairy kind established itself.

As is the case with most siblings, teasing happened between Maleficent and Blue. The latter believed it all - even the belittling - but she took to heart her sister's words about how she wasn't fast enough or smart enough to keep up and went into a downward spiral that she never got out of, eventually setting up camp at rock bottom. It definitely didn't help that Blue's magic thrived on her misery.

This was also around this time that Blue went dark and started calling herself Reul Ghorm, while Maleficent became known as the Black Fairy in certain circles.

Then Glinda's evil sister Elphaba arrived, curious about her nieces. When she offered them places in her palace in Oz, Maleficent left with her immediately and wasn't seen for centuries, until bout twenty years ago. Blue stayed behind, masquerading as a kind fairy who helped those that called upon her blue star.

The catalyst for Blue's true descent into darkness was when she received a vision of her in a showdown with Maleficent that would leave one of them dead. Blue began practicing dark magic in secret because she didn't want to be the one to die, not when she already had plans to take over the Enchanted Forest and the surrounding realms, unifying them everybody in darkness. They would all be her slaves.

As means to resist the temptation of altering the courses of all of their greater destinies after seeing through Blue's façade, Glinda returned to Oz, claiming that it needed saving because of a peculiar girl-child named Dorothy.

Blue didn't care… except for when she was given Tinker Bell to be a mother to.

It was true - having a child really did change you.

Blue banished Tinker Bell without a second look back after the fairy-human hybrid, and the whole experience made Blue realize that even though she was bad at showing it, she really loved her daughter and would've done the same thing if they were in the same circumstances.

For that, Blue vowed to watch over Belle.

* * *

When grown-up Belle hit a rough patch in her unconventional relationship with the Dark One, she left his castle for awhile, only gathering up the courage to return after her adventure with Mulan and the Yaoguai.

All she needed to do we get there.

* * *

"I'm coming, Rumple."

"Isn't that sweet?"

If possible, Belle would've jumped out of her skin because her hunting party that she had been traveling with just a short time ago were suddenly before her on the otherwise empty road… along with the Evil Queen who was looking down on her - literally, because she was on horseback - and spoke in a mocking tone.

"Still fighting for true love, even to the bitter end."

"How did you find me?"

"You really should be more careful about your traveling companions. Right, Claude?"

Regina smiled seductively at one of the head members of the hunting party before turning to the guards nearest her, all business again.

"Take her to the tower."

They obliged and carried Belle over to an awaiting wheeled cage.

"What? No! What are you doing? I can save him; I can break his curse!"

"You have already tried and failed." Regina simpered as Belle was thrown into the cage. "I'm saving you from a lifetime of pain and misery."

"You can't keep us apart forever! I'll fight for him!"

At this point, Regina was already riding away on her horse, too pleased with herself to pay attention to Belle's final declaration.

"I'll _never_ stop fighting for him!"

* * *

Blue watched from the high branches of a nearby pine tree, feeling torn.

She'd never expected Belle to remind her so much of Tinker Bell. Now all Blue wanted to do was hug her and take all her pain away, but she just couldn't because of her next goal: separating Tinker Bell from Killian.

* * *

"Tink, love, what's wrong?"

While Killian and Mister Smee had spent the day trading at a seaside port, Tinker Bell spent her whole day playing with the local children, who were partaking in the annual children's festival that their town had very year. She'd even gotten to hold a few babies.

At the moment, she and Killian were in their cabin, cuddling together after two rounds of extremely gratifying sex. Now that Tinker Bell's brain was back in working order, certain thoughts were catching up with her.

"It's been twenty-one years now since we left Neverland together. Do you think that we could finally start on our family now? It's high time we see our little pirate princess running around here."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Killian kissed her on the forehead. "Let's make our little baby Belle."

The fairy almost cried out in despair and got out of the bed so fast, reacting liked she'd been burned. Killian became confused.

"Was it something I said?"

Tinker Bell got dressed at top speed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Please, love?"

"No."

Without another word, she exited the cabin and went up to the top deck to get some air, hurrying over to the bow as she did so.

Tinker Bell wanted another baby because she loved children and now that she'd stopped aging - thank you, fairy genes - she was literally going to be in her prime for the rest of her life. At the same time, she also wanted to find Belle to see how she'd turned out. Of course, that also meant telling Killian that their baby Belle already existed.

"Tinker Bell, come on."

Of course he'd followed her.

"Please - leave me be!" she begged.

"What's wrong? Did I do something to upset you?"

Tinker Bell was now fighting back tears. "I don't even know how to say it."

"Are you angry?"

"Not in the least, my love."

"Then why are you so emotional?" A new thought hit Killian, leaving him thunderstruck and he gently touched his hand to Tinker Bell's midriff. "What if you're already with child right now?"

Tinker Bell promptly burst into tears and on the turn of a dime, decided that it was time to come clean.

"Killian, my dear sweet man, I need to tell you something."

"What is it, love?"

"The first night we were ever together, we-"

A new voice cut her off. "Green, _stop!"_

Tinker Bell rolled her eyes when she saw who the voice belonged to. "Mother, _what_ are you doing here?"

"Stopping you from changing your greater destiny!"

"This again? I'm not a child, so I will do what I wish because I choose my own fate!"

Not wanting to get dragged into the fight, Killian tried edging away from them, but Tinker Bell held on tight to his arm.

"This is my life, and I'm spending the rest of it with my love, which means I will no longer keep secrets from him!"

"Wait a second." Killian interjected. "What aren't you telling me?"

Tinker Bell stomped her foot. "This isn't happening!"

"I'm afraid it is. Green, say goodbye to Killian."

Icy terror filled Tinker Bell's heart, especially when her mother pulled out her wand and waved it in her direction. A heartbeat later, she saw that she was back in her pre-Neverland clothes.

"Mother, no! Don't make me leave; I love him, but I _promise_ I'll be good! _Please!"_

"You said you'd be good the last time we parted ways, and now you've done quite the opposite by being the only fairy to become a _pirate!"_ Blue raised her wand menacingly. "Now say goodbye!"

Tinker Bell knew she didn't have a choice in the matter, so she turned back to Killian and kissed him deeply, placing his hand over her heart.

"Killian, I love you so much. One day, we'll find each other again, and I'll be able to finish what I was going to say."

"Looking forward to it." Killian kissed her one last time. "You saved me, Tinker Bell, and I love you more than you could possibly know."

Running out of patience, Blue forced the two lovers apart by magic and turned to her offspring.

"I will always love you because you're my daughter, Green, but as a fairy, I no longer believe in you."

Just like that, Tinker Bell wanted to die, so she didn't even try to fight when Blue transported her away to a distant but all-too-familiar jungle.

Meanwhile, back on the Jolly Roger, Blue was giving Killian her best scowl. "And if you know what's good for you, you will not go looking for my daughter until the time is right."

Killian stared her down. "How will I know when that is?"

"Trust me, you will know."

"But _why_ should I trust you to begin with since this is the second time you've taken her away from me? _How_ can I trust you?"

"That's the real question, isn't it?"

She winked at him before vanishing altogether in a puff of blue smoke.


	8. In My Arms

After Emma Swan, her parents, the Dark One and Killian rescued Henry from Neverland and ended Peter Pan's reign, Snow White offered her passage to Storybrooke with them on the Jolly Roger. She accepted mostly because she'd heard that Belle was there.

Rekindling her relationship with Killian was also on the list - she'd never stopped loving him - but she began rethinking things when she saw how he was acting like a lovesick puppy around Emma and Regina. The pirate was being so pathetic that it just wasn't worth kicking his ass into gear for.

But she had a good reason for putting that off: ever since they'd departed Neverland, she was feeling sick to the stomach, and not the regular kind of stomachache, either.

The last time that it had been this bad was when she was pregnant.

* * *

"Tinker Bell, are you okay?"

She'd escaped down to the sleeping quarters, and out of concern, Snow had come to check on her. The fairy didn't really mind because she liked Snow.

"I honestly don't know, but I'm glad to see you."

"Why don't you try talking about what's on your mind?"

"How did you realize that Emma was on the way?"

"Along with a few other telltale signs, I started craving and eating lots of chimera. That animal is an acquired taste and the rate at which I wanted it made me stop and think about what was going on. I did the math after that."

Snow gave her friend a curious look.

"Are you pregnant?"

"I think so, but the only man I've ever been with is Killian."

"That certainly explains a lot, but when was the last time you two were together in… _that_ way?"

"Twenty-one years ago."

"But you're experiencing possible pregnancy symptoms over two decades later?"

"And now I even have the belly to boot."

Keeping eye contact with Snow, Tinker Bell framed her midsection with her hands to show off its rounded shape.

"My figure didn't look like this yesterday. Some kind of magic is at work in my body."

"There's only one way to know for sure."

"Excuse me?"

Snow reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out an old necklace.

"This was given to me by my mother-in-law, Ruth, just before she passed away. It predicts the sex of a mother's child, even before conception."

"But I think I'm _already_ pregnant."

"All the more reason to try it."

"Did you ever use it?"

"I did, and that's how I knew Emma was going to be a girl."

Finally convinced, Tinker Bell allowed Snow to hold the charm on the necklace over one of her open palms.

"North to south, it's a boy." Snow explained. "East to west, it's a girl."

"And if it spins?"

Tinker Bell nodded towards the charm which had started spinning in small circles.

"I've never seen that before." Snow mused. "Ruth didn't say anything about this part, but what if it means twins or triplets?"

"I really hope there's just one child in there because I have a small figure, and fairies don't typically experience pregnancy at all; in the history of our whole race, I'm the only one who has. Nine months and two weeks was _more_ than enough of bearing Belle."

Snow looked at other woman with wide eyes._ "You're_ Belle's mother?"

"Yes, but she has no idea about that or that she's even our world's first fairy-human hybrid. Is she close with her adoptive parents?"

"She and Maurice are estranged, and as far as I know, Maurice is a widower two times over."

"Oh..."

"But you're going to be so incredibly proud of Belle when you see her again. She's very gentle and kind, and she sees the good in everyone, even when they don't want to see it in themselves."

"Is she beautiful?"

"Extremely, and everybody loves her, especially the town children."

This comforted Tinker Bell, but she had one last thing to ask. "Does Belle have any magic?"

Snow hesitated before answering. "I think so."

"Care to explain?"

"For awhile up until we left for Neverland, Belle wasn't 'all the way with us,' for lack of a better way to put it, and while her body was fixing itself, a split personality named Lacey took over her body and mind. She's Belle's total opposite."

Realizing that her mother more than likely had something to do with bringing Lacey about in the grand scheme of things, Tinker Bell chose her words carefully.

"My magic was waning when I gave Belle up, so I imparted what was left on her. Lacey must be a defense mechanism."

"She's extremely effective, but anyway... Belle is incredibly smart and has used that to talk her way out of certain death a few times."

That's my girl, Tinker Bell thought.

"Does she like reading?"

"Very much, and she even runs the Storybrooke library… although given the company she keeps, it's no surprise that her top hobby is learning."

"Why? What kind of company does my daughter keep?"

"Belle is all but married to Rumplestiltskin. Their history goes back about thirty years, and that's just the part I can keep up with."

Tinker Bell just shook her head and eyed Snow's necklace again. "When was the last time you used that for its magic?"

"After our adventure in the Echo Caves, but I already knew I was pregnant."

"How did you figure?"

"Besides the regular signs, and this?" The raven-haired woman smoothed her shirt out to show off a midsection almost literally in the same shape as Tinker Bell's. "I've also been pregnant before, but it was awful on my system because by the time the morning sickness ended, Emma realized she had legs to kick me with and would kick me for sport."

"Now I feel bad in saying that up until the end, Belle was very sweet and gentle." Tinker Bell chuckled when she saw Snow wrinkle her nose and rub her baby bump as she recalled her own pregnancy. "What did the necklace tell you that you're having this time around?"

Snow's grin was back. "A little boy."

"Awww, that's wonderful! You and David get another child, and Emma and your son get something I've never had..."

"What's that?"

"Two parents who love them unconditionally and would actually be supportive of them and their choices."

Tinker Bell started taking deeps and hugged her knees to her chest as much as she could and started crying. Snow sat with her and comforted her. Even though Tinker Bell was over three centuries old, she sometimes felt as helpless and vulnerable as a little child.

David found them a few minutes later when Tinker Bell's tears had subsided and she was getting tired.

"What's going on, Snow?"

"So very many things. For the most part, Tinker Bell has been wishing she had parents who loved her the way we love Emma."

David looked at the fairy and felt his heartstrings being tugged on. "Who are your parents?"

"There don't seem to be any male fairies at all, so I can safely say that I don't even have a father, but my mother is known as the Blue Fairy or the Reul Ghorm when humans talk about her."

"Why am I not surprised that she's your mother?"

Tinker Bell merely shrugged and laid her head in Snow's lap. Almost instinctively, Snow started caressing the fairy's hair again.

"You're a good friend." She sighed sleepily. "I'm feeling better now."

"Glad I can help." Snow soothed. "We are going to take care of you and your child so you don't feel so alone."

The prince nodded in agreement with his wife. "We can be your parents - or surrogate parents, if that makes you more comfortable - and when we get back to Storybrooke, you can stay with us for as long as you'd like.

For the umpteenth time in the last few days, Tinker Bell was overwhelmed by kindness being shown to her and made a vow that once her magic was working properly again, she'd do everything she could to bless this couple and their offspring. Every royal family needed a fairy to watch over them, anyway.

"I don't even know what to say because I haven't had anyone be this nice to me in over twenty years, even when there was an attached agenda. You'd think that Blue would be somewhat decent to me because she raised me, but she's the worst because she's been cruel to me since I fell pregnant with Belle."

David felt his heart break for her and even though she outstripped all of them as a magical being, all he saw was another Emma, another Lost Girl.

"Then please just let us love you and take care of you, Tinker Bell. We have more than enough room in our hearts for Emma and Henry now, as well as anymore kids that should come along in the future."

He noticed her hands go to her belly, getting as close to her precious cargo as she could.

"And yes, we'd gladly open up our hearts and home to a pregnant fairy."

Tinker Bell finally caved and let herself cry. Snow just hummed her a lullaby until she finally fell asleep.

Curious about where here parents had gotten to, Emma ventured down from the top deck in search of them. She was also crossing her fingers that she wasn't about to walk in on them having sex again - although she'd be delighted for siblings - and was instead rewarded with another odd sight: a snoozing Tinker Bell with her head in Snow's lap with David sitting next to him like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Snow smiled at her firstborn when she saw her. "Hi, Emma!"

"I just can to deliver a message, but now I'm distracted…"

True enough, Emma continued daily to come to terms that she was a princess by birthright and that her parents were two of the most iconic fairy tale people in history, but to see them comforting someone as iconic as them was very off-putting.

"What's with Tinker Bell?"

"The short of it is that she's very, very sad and in need of a family." Snow explained. "We told her that we'd take care of her and be her parents."  
"Who are her parents?"

"Fairies don't have dads, apparently, but she said her mom is Mother Superior."

"Our family gets weirder every day." Emma sighed. "This means I finally get a sibling, huh?"

David raised his eyebrows at her. "What do you mean by 'finally'?"

She didn't answer when she noticed how Tinker Bell had splayed both of her hands over her belly in slumber; Emma had done the same thing when she was pregnant with Henry.

"And now we're getting a baby fairy, too? My day is complete."

She was excited for Tinker Bell, but she was also a little jealous because she wanted another baby. (Henry even told her once that he really wanted a baby sister) The only problem was that she didn't know who she wanted the father to be - Hook or Neal, because they were both equally appealing to her. No way would she have revealed any of that in the Echo Caves.

"Does Tinker Bell have any other family in Storybrooke?"

"Belle is her daughter, but she was adopted… she probably doesn't know that, either…"

"This means that Belle has fairy blood in her." Emma felt a strong desire to turn around and run. "Terrific. Any more bombshells, Mary Margaret?"

"Way back in the day, Tinker Bell and Hook were companions, which means that not only is Tinker Bell the mother of Belle, but also that Hook is Belle's father."

Officially crossing Hook off the list now, Emma thought.

"Belle and Tinker Bell are going to be the two most heavily protected women in Storybrooke, even if Gold and Hook don't go to war with each other. Let's just hope that Lacey doesn't come back." David shuddered at the memories of how the barfly had made a pass at him more than once in the sheriff's office. "We're going to have our hands full when we get back to Storybrooke, Emma."

Snow suppressed a laugh as both her husband and her daughter hung their heads in dread.

"Emma, didn't you come down here to deliver a message?"

"Hook told me to tell you two that we should be home in the morning." She picked up a folded blanket from a nearby pile and started going back to the stairs. "I'll be on the top deck if anybody needs me."

Snow and David bid her goodbye and continued conversing quietly with each other because neither had the heart to leave Tinker Bell and her baby alone just yet.

* * *

Back on the top deck, the pirates were milling about, tending to their tasks while Hook with was at the helm, steering. Mister Smee was next to him, and Regina was on another part of the deck, deep in the middle of telling Henry and the Lost Boys a story. All of them were absorbed by her words. The only person by themselves was Neal, so Emma decided to sit next to him.

"Did it really take you that long to give your parents a message?"

"I also learned a few interesting things about our family in the process."

"Good, bad or disturbing?"

"It's left up to your own interpretation."

Emma shivered, so Neal took Emma's blanket and spread it over her shoulders. "You still see see this whole fairytale concept with an outsider's perspective sometimes, don't you?"

"I do."

Neal felt his heart leap; he'd imagined hearing those words from Emma more times than he cared to admit, only it had been his imagination and they'd been at a wedding altar.

"With my dad being who he is, and the love of his life being Belle, I know all about weird families." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, almost melting when she sank into him. "Just stick with me, Emma."

"I will."

Neal didn't say anything else because he couldn't believe his luck. Just a few hours ago, Emma had wanted to punch his lights out every time she turned around. Now she was actually being nice to him?

Perhaps there was hope for them yet.


	9. Radioactive

Just like any regular person, even Belle French had an odd habit or two that only a select few knew about. Topping the list was her magpie-like tendencies to collect beautiful (or shiny) objects and keep them in a special display case. The librarian had had this habit since she was a child, but now that she was an adult, she had quite a large standing cabinet in the back of Rumplestiltskin's shop that she kept her treasures in.

And purely because she'd missed him for the five days that he'd been away acting the hero, Belle had taken to sleeping in the bed that Rumplestiltskin had in the back of the shop. It had been during this time that Belle discovered two very important things: she was pregnant, and then for some reason, a worn but soft yellow baby blanket with her name stitched in the corner had just turned up the previous day in the back room. At the moment, it sat folded neatly in her treasure cabinet next to a bag of recently purchased baby clothes.

* * *

Once Belle and Rumplestiltskin had some time to themselves after his return home with the others from Neverland, and they were without the threat of imminent danger or someone who needed their help, the two of them sat together in the back room, him cleaning his finer objects while she sat nearby reading a book, occasionally handing him new tools when he asked for them.

After passing him one tool in particular, he caught her hand in his, having noticed something that kept glinting in the lamplight.

* * *

"What's this on your finger, Belle?"

"It's the ring that you gave me on my birthday in the Enchanted Forest. Remember that?"

"Oh, yes." Rumplestiltskin released Belle's hand and began tracing lines in her palms. "I said to you that the ring was a symbol of our love, and that it would be on your finger after all the craziness was over."

"I know that's what you said, but I put it on just after you left because I wasn't sure if I'd see you again."

"Then what about after Ariel delivered the message?"

"It became a symbol of hope…"

Belle's words trailed off she was suddenly hit with another wave of immense relief that her love was home.

"Excuse me a second..."

Belle retreated to the bathroom for a few minutes to clean herself up and when she emerged, she reassured Rumplestiltskin that she was fine and that he should continue with his work. He only turned back around after she started oiling the hinges on her treasure cabinet.

Belle only went through the motions of cleaning and soon grew tired of it because her mind kept wandering back to her mysterious baby blanket, so she pulled it out, along with the baby clothes and sat on the bed to sort through them. She got so caught up in what she was doing that she didn't even notice that Rumplestiltskin was watching her.

"Belle, is there something you want to tell me?"

She smiled lovingly at him and made space for him to sit next to her. Wondering just what she was getting at, he joined her.

"What's going on?"

"Do you remember on that day when we talked about children?"

He nodded. "Watching you grieve over an empty womb was quite sad... To this day, I still wish I'd known how to comfort you."

"As I recall, we went on a picnic when I realized it was my birthday. _That_ was fun." She kissed his cheek and leaned into him. "Do you remember what else we talked about?"

"Baby names for your future children; Ezekiel for a boy and Leonora for a girl."

As an excuse to touch Belle, he gave her midriff a gentle caress. "Is there a little Ezekiel or a little Leonora growing in there?"

Belle pulled a sonogram out of her skirt pocket and handed it to him. "I-is this okay, Rum? I know we never got around to talking about us having children together… but… here we are."

"Yes, indeed." He set the sonogram picture on his bedside table and guided Belle's face to his. "This is fantastic news because having a family with you is one very important thing I've always wanted with you."

"So that means you've wanted more children besides Neal?"

He nodded and kissed her. "I never thought I'd have the chance again, and now our boy is all grown up."

Belle felt a small hitch in her breath when Rumplestiltskin referred to Neal as theirs.

"Do you think that Neal is going to be cool with being a big brother? For the love of God - he's older than Emma, and Emma is only six years older than me!"

"Age is just a number," He soothed. "But Bae would probably take the news better if he heard it from you."

"Yeah…"

Having had enough of that conversation, Belle held a few of the baby outfits to her middle, which was already showing a small telltale bulge.

"I bought these because I wanted some kind of comfort, I guess." she glanced at the ring on her finger. "That's why I decided to wear the ring, as well."

"That's okay. We're together now, and nothing will ever separate us."

"I love you so much, and I have no idea what I'd do without you."

"And you'll never have to know because we're going to be together for the rest of our lives with Bae and the rest of the children that come after Ezekiel or Leonora."

Despite the sentimentality, Belle blanched. "Why don't we wait before adding more babies, hm? I really want a big family, but I think I can only handle thinking about one pregnancy at a time."

"Of course." Rumplestiltskin watched Belle spread the baby blanket over her belly. "Where did this come from?"

"Funny. I'd thought that since it turned up in your shop and I found it back here, you'd know its origins."

"I can't say that I recognize it. Who does it belong to?"

"Me, apparently. It's from when I was a baby."

"But how did it get here?"

"Let it go, Rumplestiltskin." she warned, setting her things aside. "Not every rock needs turning over."

"Touché, sweetheart."

Sitting up, he snapped his fingers, and around the shop came the sounds of the blinds being drawn down and every door slamming shut. Belle quickly discarded her jacket because she knew what was coming and the smile on her face could only be described as very seductive. In short, she was very turned on.

"Oh, whatever are we going to do now?"

Rumplestiltskin kissed her deeply on the lips and continued down her shoulder, using his tongue on her as he went. When he pulled away to unbutton Belle's shirt, she actually let out a sad mewl. Belle was a tiger in bed and she'd make it known if something upset her.

"Easy, Belle." cooed Rumplestiltskin. "We have plenty of time."

"But you have magic…"

"Be that as it may, if I used any magic right now, we'd already be a step closer to being done and we don't want that, do we?"

Belle capitulated and laid on her back in submission. "Absolutely not. Do whatever you like."

* * *

Meanwhile, across town at the convent, the Blue Fairy was on the front porch, grateful that she'd left the pawn shop before Belle and Rumplestiltskin started making love.

The only reason she'd been there was to see how Belle and the Dark One put the pieces together about the blanket. Did she have any remorse about lifting it from Moe French's house and placing it in the pawn shop to frame the imp? Of course not.

"Blue? Blue, is that you?"

Tinker Bell was walking up the path towards her, looking all business.

Perfect.


	10. Broken

**I have to say: the enthusiasm and curiosity from phnxgrl, Grace and MercyFrost have shown since the beginning makes all these late-night writing sessions worth it :) xoxo **

* * *

For the first time in centuries, Blue was actually scared, but the embarrassing thing - at least to her - was that she was fearful of her own daughter.

Okay, so she'd anticipated that Tinker Bell was going to be upset with her when she finally made it to Storybrooke, but she was not at all expecting her to have murder in her eyes as she did now as she marched across the convent porch yo her.

"I can expl-"

"Oh, you'll _explain,_ alright! You'll explain this is going on!" She pointed to her baby bump. "What's the meaning of this? Are you playing with me?"

"Heavens, no. The children growing inside you are yours."

_"What?"_

"The night that I separated you from the pirate, you conceived again, but I could not let your children be born just yet when Belle still had her own destiny to fulfill!"

"Blast you and your gift of insight! You're telling me that for twenty-one years, you separated me from Killian and 'paused' my pregnancy all so Belle could grow up to fulfill her destiny? Is she our savior, or something? I thought that was Emma's lot in life, not Belle's!"

Blue slapped her. "Don't you disrespect the savior, _ever!"_

Slightly stunned, Tinker Bell held a hand to her cheek and blinked through the pain. "I just spent almost a _week_ in the wilderness of Neverland with Emma, helping her fight Pan! She is the strongest and bravest woman I've ever met; I have nothing _but_ respect for her!"

"Then trust me on this, Green! We are so close!"

"To what? My 'greater destiny'? _Belle's_ greater destiny?"

Blue said nothing, irking Tinker Bell further.

"And _you_ don't get to talk to me about _trust,_ not after you forced me away from Belle before she was even an hour old, and _especially_ not after you forced me away from Killian _twice! _Howhave you slept at night all these years?"

Tinker Bell blew out a breath as she became aware her babies reaching out to her in comfort with happy thoughts. Belle had done the same thing to her when she was a fetus.

"Do you know how badly I wanted more children?"

Again, Blue was quiet; her daughter's magic was returning right before her eyes.

"I wanted children more than _anything_ once it hit me that I'd never be able to see Belle again! And now I find out that you purposefully deprived me even further of a family? You are _truly_ evil!"

Blue didn't bat an eyelash at that jab. "One day you will understand that everything I've ever done has been because I l-"

"Above all else, you do not get to talk to me about something as important to our kind as _love!"_

"If that is what you wish, then so be it, but do be careful when you reveal yourself to Belle. She's in a very delicate state these days, and it will no doubt be a shock to her when she finds out her true lineage."

Out of spite, Blue purposefully neglected to mention that Belle's lover had a very strong vendetta against the fairies.

"You might not want to direct all of your anger towards me, though."

That did it for Tinker Bell. In a fit of pure outrage, the green-clad fairy let out something akin to a battle cry and directed her hands towards her mother. In the blink of an eye, she had Blue pinned up against the side of the convent and was concentrating all her effort on keeping her from being able to move.

"Why? Who else do I need to be this angry with?"

"The queen, for one, because she kidnapped Belle back home and had her locked up for decades, even while time stood still. If you can believe it, she committed that act to get back at the Dark One."

Tinker Bell felt her blood boil even more, but tightened her hold on Blue, who despite her position, was finally beginning to break character and look annoyingly smug and self-righteous.

"Of course, there's also your blessed Killian. He's been after Belle because she refused a long time ago to help him kill the Dark One. He's also wanted to kill Belle because the Dark One came back for his wife who ran off to be with Killian because she was tired of 'being lashed to the village coward.' Belle wasn't even born yet when that part of the story happened, but she became the target _because_ of love. Killian even harmed her to the point once where she could have died."

Fueled by her mother's attitude, Tinker Bell channeled even more strength into her magic. She disliked that it was being fortified by hate and bad blood, but that's all she could think of right now.

"The crowning glory is King Maurice, or Moe French, as he's called these days. Just to keep Belle away from the Dark One, Moe tried to send Belle under the town line because doing so erases the person's memory for good."

"Why would he do that?" Tinker Bell demanded. "I gave him my firstborn to love, raise and educate because I wanted Belle to have her best chance in life! I didn't want her to end up so broken!"

By now, Blue was beginning to turn the color of her name because of the lack of oxygen to her lungs.

"Can't… breathe…"

Tinker Bell wouldn't let up, so in a move of desperation, Blue summoned the first four people she could think of: Emma Swan, Snow White, Prince Charming and her majesty, the queen. All were disconcerted about being teleported without their prior consent, but the second they saw what was going on, Regina rushed forward and forced the two apart with her own magic.

Blue crumpled to the ground, coughing violently. David and Emma rushed to her aid while Snow and Regina moved towards Tinker Bell. Surprisingly, it was the princess who was throwing her shady looks as the queen displayed benevolence.

"Tinker Bell, what's gotten into you?" Snow asked. "What was that with Mother Superior?"

"Don't you dare show that woman any pity. Under all that goodness and charitability is a woman with a heart of coal."

The harsh words brought Snow to a grinding halt immediately because she had been raised from an early age to trust fairies without question, so hearing one bad-mouth another was enough to rattle her faith.

Regina tried talking. "What's wrong? Please tell me."

Tinker Bell glared at Regina and if looks could kill, the queen would have been dead on the spot.

_"No._ My mother told me what you did to Belle so long ago. If my firstborn had died by your hand, I'd kill you right now without a second thought."

Regina began backpedaling immediately. "I have so very many sins to atone for with everything I did to her topping the list, but Tink, no matter all the horrors Belle endured over the years - by my hand or anyone else's - she survived because she's been witness to the dark and she's fought it. That beautiful girl of yours is unbreakable like a diamond, and oddly enough, I admire that in her."

Tinker Bell's anger continued to prevail and she backed up. "Who are _you_ to talk about my child like that?"

The spot on her face where Blue had smacked her earlier was dangerously close to her eye which was threatening to swell shut now. Noticing this, Regina approached with a glowing purple hand extended towards Tinker Bell.

"At least let me heal your eye before it blinds you."

Tinker Bell slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me!"

Before anyone could stop her, she teleported away in a puff of emerald green smoke from the mess that she'd created.


	11. Pompeii

Materializing on a riverbank and spent from using magic that wasn't yet at its full strength, Tinker Bell sat down on a hollow log and concentrated on the rocks lining the riverbed as she started some breathing exercises to calm herself.

After a minute, however, she felt a little too calm and was being bombarded with warm feelings and happy thoughts. It was another minute before she realized that her babies were trying to calm her down because they just wanted her to be happy. When Tinker Bell turned her attention to her two youngest children, she smiled when the feeling intensified.

"Hello, my beautiful babies. This is your mummy talking." She cooed to them. "I just wanted to let you both know that I am so sorry everything has been crazy lately. I love both of you so much already and I promise I'll work harder on making us a proper family with your papa and your big sister."

The fairy sat quietly for a few moments, basking in her kids' happy vibes when a new voice cut through the tranquillity.

_"There _you are, Tinker Bell."

Regina was approaching and Tinker Bell automatically tensed up.

"I'm too tired to fight. What do you want?"

The other woman walked over and knelt on her knees in front of her. "I am so incredibly sorry for everything that I've ever put Belle through over the years. I'm also sorry for every bad thing I've ever said or done to you."

"Like when you told me I wasn't a very good fairy and then proceeded to call me a moth."

"Saying those things was foolish and petty of me."

Tinker Bell nodded. "Regina, I knew you before the darkness completely consumed you and you became the woman that you are now. It's okay to be real with me."

"That's going to take some getting used to."

Now Regina looked like a sad puppy and Tinker was powerless to resist it.

"How did you even know where to look for me?"

"Surely you recall our exploring expeditions we'd take in the woods when Leopold and Snow were away from the castle. More often than not, we'd end up near some kind of body of water."

"I remember now." Tinker Bell grinned. "I also remember the time where we decided to go hunting for frogs to catch but instead ended up with polliwogs because it wasn't quite frog season yet."

"That was also the time that you climbed up the tree I was napping under and steadily dropped acorns on me until I woke up."

"Of course that didn't stop you from climbing up the tree to come get me."

For all the joy they were experiencing in recalling the memories of their heyday, one question lingered on Tinker Bell's mind.

"Do you remember the last time we saw each other before Neverland?"

"I'm too ashamed to forget."

"The only reason I showed up on the front step of your castle was because I just wanted to have asylum from Blue. I even told you Belle's name and you turned me away."

Tinker Bell's bottom lip trembled.

"If you hadn't told me to leave, I was going to ask you to run away with me. I would've been liberated from Blue, and you would've been freed from royal duties and the oppressive authority figures in your life."

Regina's was taken aback because she'd had no idea that Tinker Bell cared so deeply that she would've come back to save her from her oppression. That was love.

"Yes, Tinker Bell. Yes, I would've come." She reached up and dried her friend's tears. "Now I'm sorry I didn't."

"When you were deep in your pit of darkness and you went after Belle, did you know she was mine?"

"Yes," Regina admitted at length. "But I didn't care because I was blinded by anger."

Tinker Bell sighed. "Since I didn't even get a chance to tell Killian about Belle, I felt that anywhere with you would've been my last safe place, but when you told me to leave, I wept for a friendship lost."

"But it doesn't have to be that way." Regina was hopeful. "We can start a clean slate, right here and right now."

"I like the sound of that, but if we're going to apply that to our friendship, then I say we have clean slates with our families."

"Those terms are acceptable, and if I'm doing the math right, the people on your list are the Blue Fairy and Killian."

"Spot on. For you, it's Belle, Snow White, Prince Charming and of course, Henry and Emma."

"I was with you until you mentioned Emma."

"Oh, don't be silly - I saw the way you two looked at each other back in the jungle."

Regina shuddered at the insinuation her friend was making. "I'm only going to say this once: never in the time that I've known Emma Ruth Swan have I ever been interested in her from a romantic angle."

"You sure?"

"Quite. Daniel will forever be my first love, but if the man with lion tattoo shows up again, I'll find him and see what happens."

Morally bound by fairy code and her long-ago vision of Regina and Robin Hood being endgame one day on a big estate with lots of children, Tinker Bell said nothing further on that topic and listened to Regina's ramblings.

"I have no problems with one woman loving another, or even two men who are in love with each other, but that's not my lifestyle. Besides, even though she won't say it, Emma is hopelessly in love with Baelfire."

"But you share Henry with Emma."

"That's what I said…"

"So then Henry should be the reason for your clean slate with Emma."

Regina opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to figure out what to say; any time that Tinker Bell had ever stated a larger moral problem, it was always hard to find a legitimate point to argue from after that.

Seeing that she had the upper hand, Tinker Bell pressed on.

"Suppose that we're all faced with a judgment day or even a day of reckoning here in Storybrooke, and you were separated from your son and his other mother. Wouldn't you want things to be squared away with Emma so there wouldn't be any ill feelings if she had to raise Henry without you?"

Regina felt physically ill at the prospect, but nodded. "Absolutely. There's nobody else I'd want raising Henry other than Emma."

"I gave Belle up to keep her safe; what would you do to keep Henry safe?"

"Anything, Tink. I'd do anything to keep Henry safe, and I'd do anything to keep Emma safe if it meant that no harm would fall upon either of them. They're my family."

The two women were quiet for a moment, reflecting on the impact of Regina's admission.

Tinker Bell, however, soon had a hard time concentrating because her babies were back to showing off their magical capabilities, this time by reaching out to Regina, who could sense their emotions as easily as breathing due to the great magnitude of her own powers. Just like they had with their mother, the twins were sending the witch happy vibes.

Regina was cheered up instantaneously because the babies' love and innocence made her recall her young childhood, when she'd been the happiest.

"The babies know you're here," Tinker Bell smiled. "And they love their Auntie Regina. I really hope they get a playmate or two from you in the years to come."

Regina laughed hollowly. "I already have Snow and Henry as my children. Unless I find the lion-tattooed man, even adopting again is a pipe dream."

"Never give up on a miracle, Regina, but in the mean time, I'll share the twins with you."

"That's very generous of you, but tell Killian about them first because they're _his_ offspring. So is Belle."

"Way to bring it down a few notches."

Tinker Bell began filling with dread because she couldn't talk her way out of what she'd been trying to delay.

"Could you at least heal my eye, please? I promise I won't smack you this time."

Laughing at the fairy's adorableness, Regina hauled Tinker Bell to her feet and restored her face to its normal appearance. The witch had every intention of showing the fairy how to get back to town since teleporting would wear her out again, but first she did a surprising thing: she hugged Tinker Bell.

"Wh-what are you doing?" the blond woman stuttered.

"Hugging you. If today makes the beginning of a clean slate for both of us, I want it to feel normal when I hug my best friend."

Tinker Bell's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly wrapped her arms around Regina and deepened the hug.

She'd never been called 'best friend' anybody, and it made her feel very special because it was a reminder that from now on, no matter how much it felt like her world was coming undone, she still had someone in her life who wasn't willing to give up on her so easily.

She still had someone who loved her.


	12. Poison And Wine

Before long, Tinker Bell was on the top deck of the Jolly Roger because there was no going back now.

Regina had accompanied her as far as the docks, but left, saying that she needed to do this on her own. But being the good friend she was, she promised that she'd come to the fairy's aid, should the need come.

* * *

"Killian, are you here?"

Nothing.

Remembering that she had as much free reign over the Jolly Roger as its captain, Tinker Bell went straight down to her part-time home, full-time love nest, otherwise known as the captain's quarters. Killian was in there, staring out a porthole that was facing towards the open water, but when he saw Tinker Bell, he looked at her the way a loving husband looks at his wife.

"Hello, my love. What brings you home?"

She nodded towards the porthole as she approached him. "What were you thinking about just now?"

"My regrets, to be honest."

_"Regrets,_ huh? One thing I learned over the years is that we pirates have no regrets."

"I suppose that makes me the exception… my biggest one is that we never got to make a family together. I still want that with you more than anything."

Tinker Bell crossed her arms. "Then why do you keep trying to romance Emma and Regina? They are _far_ too young for you."

"No need to take a shot at me."

"So why keep going after them? Did you forget about me? I know what we were separated against our will, but I've never stopped loving you. Am I not good enough anymore?"

"Tink, you are absolutely perfect and so incredibly beautiful; I'd never change either of those things. Unfortunately, I've really let my morals go when women are involved and I've romanced Emma and Regina - or at least tried to - because they've kept me distracted from you."

"I'm not sure if I should I should take offense to that."

Tinker Bell didn't say anything, so Killian thought fast for better phrasing.

"What I mean is, even after all these years apart, I wasn't sure if you'd still want to be with me or if you still even loved me. Then when we did meet again while we were looking for Henry, I got so nervous about how to talk to you that I just kept going."

"Killian, I want to be with you for the rest of my life, but I've also heard how you've gone after Belle, usually with killing on the agenda. Have you tried wooing her, too?"

He nodded. "Yes, but in all fairness, Lacey pursued me several times through Belle's body, and that still amounts to the number of times I went after Belle."

Tinker Bell waved a hand of dismissal. "You're going to have to put a stop to all of that now."

"Trust me, love, I will. After that, we will finally get a start on making our pirate princesses and pirate princes."

"Okay, but you're really, _really_ going to have to stop pursuing the women we've talked about, specifically Belle… and Lacey, if she wakes back up."

"You win: I'll stay away from Emma, Regina, Lacey and even Belle, but why do you keep pressing on the matter?"

"Do you remember the last time we were separated?"

"How could I forget?"

"Then you must remember how I was going to tell you something before Blue showed up?"

"Yes, of course."

"After our night in the tavern, we actually _did_ make a pirate princess."

Killian felt a jolt in his stomach. "I beg your pardon? We have a daughter?"

Tinker Bell nodded mutely.

"That night in the tavern was over twenty years ago. This that we have a grown d- oh, gods. Are you telling me that _Belle_ is our daughter?"

"Yes."

Killian would later be disgusted with himself about how the girl he'd spent many years trying to either charm or kill was his own flesh and blood, but for now, he was just angry.

"Twenty-one years, Tinker Bell! _Twenty-one,_ and you couldn't have told me that we'd made a daughter together?"

"Excuse me, but I had no way of knowing after you sailed off on the morning after a one-night stand that your number one goal in life is to be a father!"

"Where were you that you couldn't leave some kind of message for me? If you'd done that, I would've dropped everything to come back for you and Belle, and I would've dueled anyone in your way, magical or not! Where _were_ you?"

"Banished to walk the Enchanted Forest until I gave birth because our Belle is a hybrid, Killian, so the half of her that isn't fairy is _human._ It's against fairy laws to have anyone of human blood set foot in our home realm and if Belle ever does, she'll be scorned and turned into a laughingstock. More to the point: as part of my punishment, I wasn't even allowed to figure out where I was. Do you think I _didn't_ want to find you?"

Killian didn't know what to say because Tinker Bell was already a spitfire of a woman and now she was showing who she really was: the only woman in his long life who had never held her thoughts and feelings back.

"Here's another question: since you say that you love me, why didn't _you_ ever come after _me? _Shifting the blame in my direction is _totally_ unfair!"

"After your dear old mother sent you back to Neverland, she told me not to find you until the time was right."

"Do you _really_ expect me to believe that?"

"No, but it's what she s- what are you doing?"

While they'd been fighting, the twins were feeding off their mother's emotions. It left all three of them feeling unsettled, so Tinker Bell had started caressing her baby bump, momentarily forgetting that Killian didn't know about them yet.

"We've got twins on the way."

"What do you mean, _'we'?_ How do I know you didn't run off with someone? Twenty-one years is a long time?"

Tinker Bell's eyes widened in shock. "How _dare_ you accuse me of being unfaithful when all I've done is wait for you and fight off every stupid Lost Boy who has made advances on me! The night that Blue sent me back to Neverland, I conceived from you again, but she 'paused' my pregnancy because apparently, she's foreseen something in the larger scheme of things that couldn't be disrupted by our children until now, so she unfroze my pregnancy the second we escaped Neverland! The children growing inside my womb are as every bit yours as Belle is!"

"And speaking of her, does Belle know anything about who we are to her, or that she has magical blood in her?"

"No."

"Who did you give her to?"

"King Maurice of Avonlea. I know he's in Storybrooke and goes by the name of Moe, but I haven't gathered up the courage to find him or Belle because it was hard enough to come talk to you."

Even though he'd just torn into Tinker Bell in a most unkind way, Killian's love for her still won out.

"I'll help you find Belle, but I feel there's one thing you should know about Moe, should we see him first."

"I'm listening…"

"When he is not tending to his floral shop on the main avenue, he is often found at the Rabbit Hole."

"What's that?"

"A tavern a few blocks away. He likes to drink there so he can forgets about every wrong thing he's done to Belle."

Tinker Bell went from angry to incensed. "I don't want to know how you know those things about Moe because then I might actually kill him. Just tell me where we can find him at this time of day."

"In his shop, the Game Of Thorns."

"Do you know its location?"

"Indeed, love."

Tinker Bell put a hand on Killian's shoulder. "Close your eyes and picture it in your mind."

Killian did as he was told. "What now?"

"Keep thinking of it." She put the other hand on his other shoulder and closed her own eyes. "Keep thinking."

Even though it was well against her better judgment because her magic wasn't at full strength and fueled mostly by her anger, Tinker Bell teleported them off the Jolly Roger and away to the Game Of Thorns, all the while trying to shake off how it felt like they were two birds of prey circling in for the kill.


	13. Crushcrushcrush

Upon arriving at the front entrance to the Game Of Thorns, Tinker Bell stumbled slightly, but Killian caught her.

"Perhaps you should stop teleporting for awhile."

Tinker Bell stood on her own and brushed out the wrinkles in her dress. "Why, Killian Jones, is that a hint of compassion I'm detecting?"

"No, of course not."

"Too bad, because I could really make it worth your while…"

Killian let out a small groan; as experienced on previous occasions, Tinker Bell had so much power of suggestion over him that sometimes even just her voice tone could cause him to lose control over certain lower parts of his body.

"Focus, love. _Please."_

Refraining from further teasing, Tinker Bell examined a sign on the door. "It says that the shop is closed."

Killian immediately resigned himself to being Tinker Bell's back-up muscle. "But that's not going to stop you from going inside, anyway, is it?"

"You know me way too well." She answered cheekily. "Come on."

Finding the door to be unlocked, she opened it and marched inside with Killian trailing behind her. Maurice was at the front counter, deeply absorbed in trimming a potted orchid in front of him. He spoke without looking up.

"Whomever you are, please return tomorrow."

"You can't turn away from your plant to talk to an old friend?" Tinker Bell purred. "Let's not be rude, your majesty."

Startled, Maurice finally looked up. "Tinker Bell, is that you? The years have done you well!"

The fairy gave him an 'Are you kidding me?' expression because she was unimpressed with his flustering. Already unnerved, Maurice caught sight of Hook and stood so fast that his chair fell to the ground with a resounding clatter.

"Killian Jones, too? What the bloody hell; how dare you be in the same room with me after shooting Belle?"

"You did _what?"_ Tinker Bell screeched at Killian before shaking her head to clear it. "Never mind, this isn't the time. We'll talk about it later."

"What's going on?" Maurice asked. "Is this about Belle?"

"Don't you know it. What's this I hear about you trying to control who she falls in love with? _That's_ against the laws of _nature!"_

"When you live the royal life like I did, then everything about love is different and in some cases, as how it was with Belle, then love is more a business transaction than anything else."

"That is awful, and if not for love, Belle wouldn't even have been conceived! Why did you try to keep Belle from Rumplestilskin? He's her True Love, and I think it would bode ill for us all if they're ever apart from each other again! Don't tell me that you tried to make her fall in love with Gaston so he'd be the one she saved Avonlea with!"

"I had no other choice, Tinker Bell! His parents, King Benoit and Queen Clémence, were at our castle that night because they were in the middle of settling financial negotiations to keep Avonlea afloat. Gaston was their son and Belle is the only one of my children to even survive into adulthood, so a marriage between her and Gaston would've been inevitable, anyway."

"You mean 'perfectly convenient.' I don't get the human views on love, but fairies have one that is quite simple: love cannot and should not be forced upon two people because the outcome could be disastrous!"

"Do you see the future?"

"No, but I have my intuition!"

Moe turned to Killian. "Why did you come with Tinker Bell? Are you her bodyguard?"

"Hardly." the pirate scoffed. "I am her companion, as well as Belle's father."

"So Belle is descended from fairies and common pirate riffraff…"

In the blink of an eye, Killian had Maurice pinned against the nearest wall. "Tinker Bell is 'common pirate riffraff' too, so you watch yourself when you talk to the two people who gave you a child in the first place, especially when we have a most loyal crew that will defend us to the end!"

"That's a lot of talking for someone who is always looking for the next fight. Perhaps of you stayed in one spot, you'd be able to gain some honor and make a proper name for yourself!"

"It's a pirate's life for me, mate, and my name is perfectly proper, thank you." Killian tightened his grip on the florist. "Unlike you, _I_ have enough honor left to fight for my family and bring them back together, no matter how hard it is _or_ how long it takes."

Tinker Bell had been watching this exchange and was torn between being angry with Killian for his behavior during their early conversation, and falling even more in love with him for stepping up to the plate to defend her and Belle.

Unfortunately, the fairy was also feeling a little woozy and as a result, she briefly lost control of her magic and ended up teleporting her, Killian and Maurice to Rumplestiltskin's pawn shop.

Meanwhile, Belle and Rumplestiltskin were fully dressed again and in the front room of the shop, chatting. Their conversation was cut short when three people teleported into the shop, not even noticing them. Belle was a little taken aback to see Killian holding Maurice in a vice grip. The third person, a blond woman dressed in green, whom she realized was Tinker Bell, who didn't look pleased with Killian was telling her.

"You _really_ need to stop teleporting, love - it's wearing you out, and that can't be good for the babies, either!"

Fed up, Tinker Bell hit him hard on the cheek. _SMACK!_

"Okay, I deserved that..."

"Killian Jones, you are not allowed to care now, not after all you said to me earlier!"

Maurice tried to move away, but Killian held fast to him as he continued to bicker with Tinker Bell.

Although she disliked Maurice for trying to force her into an unwanted marriage and then later for trying to make her forget her True Love, Belle would always hate Killian more. Upset that the pirate was trespassing in her home away from home and so as to protect her baby in case Killian tried anything on her, Belle pulled out a sword from a nearby umbrella case.

She then marched right up to Killian and held the sword up to his throat so that the tip of the blade was nearly pressed up against his jugular.

"You have two seconds to start explaining yourself before I use this weapon on you to do more harm than good!"

Killian chuckled; for the first time since realizing who his firstborn was, he was now able to understand where Belle's fierceness and compulsion to protect had come from.

Ticked off that her archenemy was making light of the situation, Belle stepped even closer to him.

"Don't think I won't do it!"

And then, although only for a heartbeat, even Killian Jones was afraid of Belle French because she truly had murder in her eyes.


	14. Clarity

Although he'd never cop to it, the sight of Belle facing him with a sharp sword actually scared Killian slightly. But he was a pirate with a reputation to maintain, so he kept his cool (and his grip on Maurice) and used his hook to lower the sword Belle was holding against him.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Why should I believe that, Hook? I still haven't forgotten how you shot me in the shoulder!"

Rumplestiltskin stepped forward. "Nor have I. Hurry up and get to the point."

The pirate ignored his crocodile and turned to Belle, finally able to comprehend that she was his progeny. "I must admit that of all weapons, I'm impressed you picked up a sword. Just what I would've picked if I had one."

"You usually have a _gun, _as well as a habit of pointing it at my _head."_ Belle shot back.

"Where did out learn to handle a sword so well?"

"Back home, a long time ago," she tightened her grip on her weapon. "And I'll use it now to protect myself and my child!"

It took a moment for Belle's words to sink in, but when they did, all three of her parents reacted differently. Killian immediately backed off, as if she was naught but fine spun glass now and one false move would break her. Maurice freed himself and took a few steps out of Killian's reach, ready to leave out of the door the second he had a chance. And Tinker Bell, she was almost in tears but also incredibly happy and smiling through them.

"Killian," she spoke softly to her companion. "She's pregnant. Our girl is pregnant."

He just nodded, already feeling as though he'd just been thrown into a brick wall - he was going to be a grandfather!

Belle, on the other hand, was equipped with supersonic senses like her mother was, and heard Tinker Bell's words perfectly

"What did you just say, Tinker Bell?_ 'Our_ girl'?"

The blond nodded. "You have no idea how much I wish you didn't have to find out this way, but yes, Belle. I am your mother."

Instead of having a total freak-out like most people would, Belle skipped straight on down to trying to put things together as fast as she could.

"Then that makes me part _fairy_ and the daughter of a ruthless _pirate?_ What the bloody hell is even _happening_ today?"

The others fell silent, their eyes on Belle, but more specifically on her sword because they all knew saying anything to her was a gamble now. If even the littlest thing upset her, she'd most likely stab the perpetrator because she wasn't the harmless librarian that most people took her for at face value.

Since it took little effort to weed out Maurice as the weak one of her three parents, Belle turned the blade to the florist's throat now.

"Start explaining, papa. Why didn't you ever tell me that I'm adopted?"

"You were born in the palace because Tinker Bell turned up on the front gate when she was deep in labor, and then when she put you into my arms, she instructed me to never tell you about her or your true lineage."

_"Why?"_

"Because she wanted you to be raised and educated properly, which I made sure of. Belle, if you are to ever step foot in your actual home realm of the flower fields in Paradisi, you'd be ridiculed by the rest of the fairies because when they're in their natural form, they look down on humans. I gave you a good life and kept you safe, didn't I?"

_"Safe?"_ Belle echoed in disbelief. _"Safe?_ Then what about my impending marriage to Gaston, who violated me in the most _horrible_ of ways? And what of Rachel? If you call _my_ state of mind back then safe, then _she_ was downright _miserable!" _

Maurice turned beet red at having the French family's dirty laundry aired with no warning. "You leave your mother out of this!"

"No! Rachel wasn't my mother, or even my stepmother because she was younger than I am now when she married you, and when she died in my arms from grief after her sweet little boy was born asleep! You are one to talk because you were away on some stupid hunting trip, and that left me to bury Rachel and my baby brother!"

"Rachel's family was poorer than poor, and I needed I needed a wife who would provide more children since you were to go off to another kingdom, anyway!"

"I liked Rachel, and when she told me she was expecting, I was excited to have a sibling to love and teach the ways of the world to, but even at that, she was the freest spirit I've ever known and couldn't stand being cooped up in the palace all the time. She had plans to run away to the Enchanted Forest for asylum, and I was going to go _with_ her! As for my real mother, she's right over there!"

Tinker Bell was extremely taken aback that Belle was pointing to her because it meant that she was already accepting of the truth. In a show of support, she stood next to her and stared Maurice down. Killian on Belle's other side, casually sharpening his hook on a pocket knife, quite content to let his girls have a go at the florist.

"You have two seconds two turn around and leave this place." Tinker Bell growled. "If you _ever_ come back and cause my daughter and her child - or her future children - _any_ kind of distress, be rest assured that Killian and I will hunt you down ourselves and make you pay."

Thoroughly intimidated, Maurice bolted from the pawn shop.

When he was gone, Tinker Bell saw that Belle still had a firm grip on the hilt of her sword because she was experiencing a serious adrenaline rush.

"Come on, love. Put the sword away."

Tinker Bell caressed Belle's arms, trying to loosen them or at least get them back to normal.

"Just focus on my voice. Moe left, and between Killian, Rumplestiltskin and myself, you are in the safest room in Storybrooke. So is my grandbaby that you're growing inside you."

Those words did the trick and Belle seemed to be with the program again.

Suddenly realizing how sharp her sword was, she handed it to Killian who set it aside with his pocket knife. He wanted so badly to hug his baby girl to take her pain away, but he decided against it and watched Tinker Bell try to further connect with her.

"Say something, say anything at all."

"Why did you give me up? Why didn't you ever come get me?"

"I gave you up because I couldn't keep you, and I am _so_ sorry. I never came because I thought that you'd be happy, growing up as a princess."

"I was happy until I hit marrying age."

"Then what was it that brought you back?"

"Rumple did. He saved me and brought me back to life." Belle turned to her father next. "And to think that we've met several times without knowing who we are to each other."

"In all fairness, I didn't know that you were mine until about a half hour ago. Your mother has her reasons for keeping quiet, but that's another matter for another day."

"Did either one of you want to be parents? Please don't lie to me."

"I wanted it more than anything the second I sensed you were there, and you were the sweetest, always reaching out to me with happy thoughts." Tinker Bell told her sincerely. "Being a parent is all I've ever wanted since I was a child, Belle."

"I have also wanted to be a parent for many, many years, but it wasn't until I met your mother and fell in love with her that I knew she was the one for me." Killian confessed. "If things had happened differently, we would've raised you on the Jolly Roger with a sibling or two, but the chips didn't fall that way."

Belle raised her eyebrows. "What happened?"

"My mother happened." Tinker Bell answered tartly. "Steer clear of her."

"Your mum is the Blue Fairy, isn't she?"

Belle's parents nodded in unison.

"Then why do you speak as if we should dread her? She helped me to activate the magic spell that kept Storybrooke safe, and she's never been anything but kind and generous to me."

Tinker Bell's right eye twitched. "Let's not talk about her at the moment, my tiny love."

Belle felt her heart skip a beat at the term of endearment, but before she let herself get overly emotional, she spoke to Killian again.

"If you stop trying to woo me or kill me whenever we're in the same vicinity, I promise I won't be so hostile. It's hoping to take me some time to get used to all of this, especially since Rumple and I are finally adding onto our family, but I'll work on making the effort if you do."

Killian gave his daughter a sweeping bow. "You have my word, and perhaps one day, we can be friends."

"Perhaps, but don't push your luck."

"Of course not, Belle." He straightened up. "Do you remember being Lacey?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Are you wondering what she thought of you?"

"I am."  
"My evil twin, or whatever she is, thought that you were a doorknob."

Killian raised his eyebrows. "I've been called many things in my day, but never _that."_

"Lacey's phrasing, not mine." Belle shrugged. "If she'd gotten as close to you as she'd been planning, she would've inflicted major bodily harm on you as a reminder to never touch her again."

"Well, I'm glad she never got that."

"For mummy's sake and for the sake of my little siblings, I'm also glad because I wouldn't be able to handle my family coming unraveled any further."

Belle held her hands over her baby bump and looked from one parent to the other.

"This is really happening, isn't it?"

"It is." Tinker Bell put a hand on her daughter's forearm. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes, mummy. I need some space right now; is that okay?"

"Go ahead and take a walk. Perhaps we'll catch up later."

Belle just smiled and left with her mother and father staring after her.

"I don't even know what to say to that," Killian remarked. "Other than that she reminds me of you more than she ever did before, and that I'm quite proud she knows how to handle a sword so well."

Tinker Bell stayed where she was, grinning like an idiot. "I don't know if Belle realized she was doing it, but she called me 'mummy' twice. I never thought I'd hear that from her."

As a way to remind them that he was still there, Rumplestiltskin sidled up to the couple. "Well, I hope you two are pleased with yourselves."

Tinker Bell sighed. "What did we do now?"

"Ruin the moment, is what! Before you two arrived with our friend Mister French, I was about to propose to your darling daughter, but but you both scared her off! Do you have any idea how long it's going to take to get her back here, and in a happy state?"

Killian rolled his eyes. "My daughter is not some timid fawn that scares easily. The fact that she has repeatedly stared death in the face and laughed at it is proof enough."

"That she has your tenacity and her mother's fighting spirit, yes." Rumplestiltskin finished. "That all explains a lot about her that I've been trying to figure out for thirty years now, but you and your concomitant there still ruined a perfectly good moment."

He walked over to the door and opened it.

"Now here is the way out. I'll ask you both kindly to not return to my shop until Belle is happy. Thank you, and good day."

Having no choice, Tinker Bell and Killian left and walked down Main Street together.

"I hope _you_ are happy." Killian began. "We _did_ just establish some kind of bond with Belle, but we've also managed to upset one of the most powerful residents of this fair town."

"Is that how it's going to be now? I can play this game, too, you know." Tinker Bell gave Killian a murderous glare. "As of now, we'll be civil for Belle when she's around, but all of what happened back there doesn't automatically mean we're going to be okay."

Killian sighed because he knew Tinker Bell well enough to know that she loved him deeply, but was going to be healing for awhile from all their years apart.

He'd been a fool to think it would be that easy.

"So shall it be said, so shall it be done."

"You can go cavorting after Emma Swan again, for all I care."

"That's an interesting word to use, cavorting. What's got you so angry all of a sudden? I thought you said you loved me."

Truth be told, Tinker Bell had a lot on her plate and was a few short steps from having a meltdown.

"I don't, but I always will!"

Now Killian was confused. "What does _that_ even mean?"

"I- oh, go buy Emma a drink!"

Hurt, but quite unwilling to let Tinker Bell see, Killian turned away and headed down the block towards the diner. He loved Tinker Bell with all of his heart and would readily set himself straight for her and all three of their children, and he was willing to wait for her, no matter how long it took.

He'd come this far, hadn't he?

* * *

Tinker Bell was emotionally drained, so she ducked into a side alley and promptly burst into tears.

"Regina, I wish you were here..."

No sooner had she spoken those words then the witch appeared next to her in a puff of purple smoke.

"What's going on, Tink? Do I need to turn Hook into a frog?"

The fairy laughed weakly at the offer. "No, this one's on me, I'm afraid - I've just screwed up a perfectly good moment and told Killian to go away."

In a rare display of affection for anyone besides her son, Regina slung an arm around Tinker Bell's shoulder and kissed her on the forehead.

"What do you need? Just name it."

"I want to go to Snow's and David's place, wherever that is. They've offered to be my surrogate parents, and I just need that kind of love right now."

"Okay, hold on. I'll have us there in a moment."

"Thanks, Regina."

"Anything for you."

And so they teleported away together.


	15. Fin

At that precise moment over at casa de la Charming, Snow was in front of the big full-length mirror in her bedroom, admiring her figure. She knew she was beautiful, even when she was dressed down and without makeup, as she was now, but this time, she was focused on her hair.

It made her shudder to think that she'd had the same hairstyle during the whole twenty-eight years of the curse without thinking twice about it, but they'd been free of the curse for awhile. Snow felt due for at least a hairstyle change now. She wanted to grow her hair out long, so it would be long, just like when she'd carried Emma.

Absently, she touched a hand to her baby bump, whose dimension was obscured by the large button-down shirt she'd changed into the second she could upon arriving back at the loft. Since realizing that she was going to be a mother again, she'd been looking for the perfect opportunity to tell David, but they kept getting interrupted.

Usually by Emma.

Although she was a grown woman, she still had her moments where she behaved like a toddler.

* * *

"I _knew_ it!"

Snow nearly jumped out of her skin at the abrupt break in silence and saw her firstborn staring up at her from the bed with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Jesus, Emma. Do I need to remind you to use you to use your indoor voice? Are you five again?"

"No on both, and five-year-old me was as quiet as a mouse." The blond nodded towards her mother's hands, which were now framing her distended midsection. "You _are_ pregnant!"

"Shhhh!" Snow hissed. "Your father doesn't know yet!"

"And why not? No matter how many big shirts you wear, you won't be able to hide your condition for much longer."

"These last few months have been pretty hectic, and if what happened when I was carrying you is anything to go buy, it's going to be awhile yet."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Well, don't stop there."

"We were still trying to take back the kingdom and fight Regina when I found out you were on the way, but even at that, your father's main concern was protecting me from the evil forces of two armies."

"Regina's and King George's, right?"

Snow nodded.

"Then when did you tell him?"

"On one particular day when I couldn't get out of bed because you'd become conscious of your legs and were kicking up a storm. All I could do was just sit and wait for it to pass because you kicked harder if I tried getting up. Your father arrived in the middle of it and I put his hand over the area where you were the most active."

"And what? He connected the dots from there?"

"Exactly." Snow rubbed circular soothing motions over her belly to calm the baby. "I hope it doesn't take that long again, especially since the baby is a boy."

Emma became giddy immediately. "Mom, I've always wanted a brother! I'm really getting one?"

Snow nodded, quite surprised that Emma wasn't upset and that she'd even called her mom.

"Yep - you are most definitely getting a baby brother! Oh!"

In her joy, Emma had sat up and pulled Snow into a hug so that her arms were wrapped around Snow's waist and that her cheek was touching the pregnant bulge.

Emma's brother was at the in-between stage of development where his limbs weren't strong enough to use for punching or kicking yet, but that being said, he wiggled around constantly. There was no way that Snow couldn't feel it, but the peace that the princess felt when her son stilled at Emma's touch was indescribable.

It was moments like this that made every last bit of danger, heartache and agony that Snow had ever faced completely worth it.

* * *

Upstairs, David was lost in thought.

His wife's loft was most certainly warm and cozy, but also a lot larger than most people realized. The first floor alone housed a sitting room, a kitchenette, a dining area, a bathroom and of course, Emma's room and also the room that he, David, shared with Snow.

Upstairs was another bathroom, along with Henry's and Tinker Bell's bedrooms. Across the hallway sat more unused rooms that could easily be turned into nurseries.

Four more rooms, to be exact.

After the trip to the Echo Cave in Neverland, David finally knew the full magnitude to which Snow wanted another baby. Not until Gold had started speaking of a possible cure for the wretched dreamshade harming the prince's body did David finally allow himself to admit that he wanted another child, too.

And while it would be true that the rest of his and Snow's kids would be decades younger than Emma, it didn't really matter because he didn't want Emma to be an only child any longer, and he didn't want her to be alone after everything she'd gone through in her life.

David was even sure that Snow had names picked out for the rest of their kids, but so did he. Zane or Maddox for their boys, Johanna or Olivia for their daughters. If he and Snow were indeed blessed with four more children, everybody would be able to have their own bedroom, and that was far more than what he'd had when he was growing up, even when it had been just him and his mother.

It was time to sit down with Snow and seriously have the baby talk.

But he had to find her first.

* * *

David was on the last step on the staircase when a very strange thing happened that caused his wife and daughter to come hurrying in from the master bedroom and Henry to look up from his comic books: Regina had teleported into the loft, supporting a sad and very disheveled Tinker Bell.

"Ever heard of knocking?" David asked, immediately on guard.

"Now is _not_ the time, Charming." the witch warned. "I'm here for Tinker Bell because she said she wanted to be near you and your wife. Is there a bedroom available?"

"Second one on the left upstairs, next to Henry's."

Rather than waste time with something as trivial as a flight of stairs, Regina teleported her and Tinker Bell to the bedroom.

"Please no more teleporting." The fairy groaned as she tried to make herself comfortable on the bed. "I'm really starting to feel it now."

Regina waved a hand, causing green scarves to be draped over the light sources in the room, casting the space in a calming glow.

"I'm sorry. Is there anything that you need?"

"Just the world to be right, and for my family to be happy together."

"I'm afraid I don't have the cure for that, because Hook and I have never truly gotten along, and Belle remains fearful of me, despite her brave exterior. Her eyes give away a lot."

Suddenly hit with an idea, Regina touched a purple glowing hand to Tinker Bell's baby bump which was actually visible now that she was being still.

"Here you go, Tink. You still need to believe in yourself to make your magic work, but I've calmed your body and the babies for you. Now you'll have a chance to focus."

"Thank you, Regina." She was already feeling like she could think straight. "The babies are thankful, too."

Regina smiled. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes."

"My offers remain standing, by the way: if you need anything, I'll come back here straight away and then if Hook does anything to upset you, I'll change him into some kind of undesirable creature for awhile until he learns his lesson."

"You, Regina Rose, are the best friend anybody could ever have."

Regina beamed at the praise and blew the fairy a kiss as she showed herself out of the room.

When she went back downstairs, she saw Henry, Emma, David and Snow all staring at her with varying degrees of surprise on their faces.

"What?"

"Are you and Tinker Bell buddies, or something?" Snow asked.

"That's very colloquial of you, dear, but yes. I've known her just about as long as I've known you."

Emma stepped forward. "How do we know that you aren't using Tinker Bell for some greater scheme?"

"Because, _Emma,"_ she drew her step granddaughter's name out for effect. "Tinker Bell is the closest I've ever had to a sister, and even after all the years we spent apart, she's the one person who has never completely forsaken me, unlike your parents, who are equipped with funny ideas for the definition of grace and mercy. And you know what? After our 'family trip' to Neverland, I'm proud to say that I've come to my senses."

"About what? Love and goodness?"

"About how friends are the family you choose, if you must know. Long before you were born and when my husband - your grandfather - was alive, I met Tinker Bell and she saved me in more ways than one. I'll never hurt her again for as long as I live because I owe her my life."

This revelation put Emma at a loss for words because it was not only a foreign concept but also very discombobulating to see Regina show so much love for someone who wasn't Henry, or even Cora.

Seeing that she had her speechless, Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma.

"There's a pregnant brokenhearted fairy upstairs who is feeling unwell and a little fragile. If any harm falls upon her, I will blame _you_ and punish _you."_

"But-"

"Not up for discussion, Miss Swan. Good day."

Regina left the loft without another word.


	16. You've Got A Friend In Me

**Hello, hello :D I assure you - I'm not dead, but life got really real with work, stuff at home and then getting nailed with an awful, awful cold. Even now, I'm operating at 70% because I'm still a bit warm and I can't breathe out of my nose. At all. On the bright side, my birthday is tomorrow and this chapter is fluffy ;) happy reading!**

* * *

Belle had second thoughts about leaving Rumplestilskin, Tinker Bell, Hook and Maurice alone in the same room, but eventually decided that Maurice would be more than deserving of any punishment the other three cooked up for him. She further consoled herself with the knowledge that from now on, Rumplestiltskin would never harm Hook or Tinker Bell again _because_ they were her parents…

Belle's family tree was extremely complicated at this point in the game and she'd sort it out one day, but just not now.

The only person she wanted to see was Baelfire.

* * *

Luckily, Belle didn't have long to wait for him because he'd had the same idea as her: going to Granny's.

* * *

"Hi, Belle! Mind if I join you?"

Baelfire stood in front of her booth and she grinned at him, indicating the empty seat across from her.

"Sure thing; I'd love to sit with you!"

She waited for him to get settled before asking the opening question.

"Why aren't you with Emma right now?"

"Okay, so we _are_ starting to get along because of Henry and how we rescued him from Pan's evil clutches, but that isn't enough, apparently."

"When you know the one you love is who you want to spend the rest of your life with, the major key is being very patient, and also retuning all the negativity with love, no matter what."

"Sounds like the voice of experience."

"How do you think I got through to your father?" Belle winked.

"I thought it was your brains and your feminine charms," Baelfire teased. "But speaking of you and dad, how hasn't he proposed to you yet?"

"I don't know, and I really wish he would. I've been meaning to ask you, though - whenever Rumple and I _do_ get around to thing the knot, would it weird you out to have me as your stepmum?"

"You mean because you're younger than both me and Emma?"

"Precisely."

Baelfire shrugged. "I wouldn't care about that part, actually, because I'd just be happy to have a mom who loves me."

"What about Milah? She gave birth to you."

"And that's it. All I remember about life with her is that she saw me as a burden..."

Baelfire's words trailed off and he suddenly gave a bashful smile, akin to a little boy with a crush. Belle thought it was adorable.

"And just what are you thinking now?"

"That I wish you could've been my mom from the start."

Belle's eyes filled up with tears because she had no idea how to respond to that, but one of the waitresses stopped by and Baelfire quickly placed their orders. When she left, Belle had composed herself somewhat.

"I can play the 'I have a weird family' game now."

"Because being the daughter of the king-turned-florist isn't odd enough?"

"In the space of an hour, I've discovered that not only was I adopted at birth, but also that my biological parents are the last two people you'd think would have a kid together, even in a storybook version of reality."

Baelfire sat back. "You definitely have me beat already."

The waitress returned with their drinks - iced tea for Belle and coffee for Baelfire - but the conversation soon resumed.

"Who _are_ your parents, Belle? Are they even here?"

"Indeed they are. Believe it or not, my parents are Hook and Tinker Bell."

Baelfire had nothing to say to that, so he just listened.

"My parents are so in love," Belle concluded. "But the 'icing on the cake,' as it were, is that Tinker Bell is pregnant. I'm... going to be a big sister."

"So your biggest concerns aren't that you're the daughter of one of the most feared pirates in _all_ of history, or even that you're part fairy, but more that you're getting a new sibling in six months or so?"

"Two siblings, actually, but yeah, that's my biggest concern. I have no idea to be a big sister, especially since I never even had a companion when I was growing up."

"Is having a companion some kind of royal thing?"

"Mhm, but I suppose I was happy by myself. That doesn't mean I didn't get lonely..."

"I wish I could have even _one_ sibling."

Belle almost spat out her drink because she couldn't have asked for a better segue.

"Well, Bae, it looks like you're going to get your wish."

It took him a minute to process what she'd said, but when he got it, he beamed.

"Belle, you're pregnant? That's great!"

The fairy-librarian-princess-fairy breathed a sigh of relief at Baelfire's happiness because she hadn't been expecting it from him.

"Now - you do realize that as the older sibling, you're going to have to have to set a good example, right?"

"If the baby is a boy, I'll teach him how to sword fight with wooden swords, and if it's a girl, I'll be her bodyguard, have tea parties with her and go flower-picking with her."

"You're going to be a _great_ big brother."

"And you, once you've digested everything that you've had thrust upon you today, are going to be the most wonderful sister ever to Tinker Bell's babies. With you keeping them in check, I bet your siblings are going to be reading very early. Do you speak anything besides English?"

"I'm literate and fluent in both French and Mandarin."

"See; you can teach them _two_ foreign languages!"

As much as the praise and encouragement pleased Belle, a certain thought was nagging at the back of her mind, but before she could voice it, a new person came to stand at their both: Hook.

Once Baelfire saw that he wasn't going to be a threat, he watched in fascination as he interacted with Belle.

Hook indicated the glass of ice tea in his hand as he spoke to his daughter in an informative tone. "Back where I come from, we had tea and plenty of it, but never in all my days have I seen it _iced."_

"You should try it; it's quite lovely."

"More could be said about the smell of it, my dear." This earned the pirate a playful glare from his offspring. "Only joking. At any rate, Granny just told me that iced tea is your favorite drink, so here you go; it's on me."

Belle felt an overwhelming amount of warmth and happiness advancing though her body and chalked it up to Hook actually being nice to her without any strings attached. She squeaked out a "Thank you!" and accepted the new drink from Hook. He clearly wanted to say something to her, but she busied herself with drinking it.

Baelfire covered for her. "Hey, man - it looks like Belle has a lot on her plate, but I'm sure she appreciates the gesture."

Hook turned to Belle for confirmation and when she nodded, he gave her a sweeping bow.

"If you need me to duel anyone for you or even of you'd just like to talk, you know where my ship is."

Belle set her glass down and nodded, watching him go.

_So long, papa…_ she thought.

Once Belle took a few deep thoughts and had her wits about her again, she saw that Baelfire was giving her a kind smile.

"Looks like he's making an effort."

Belle nodded. "I will not deny that, and I _do_ appreciate it, but I also have nearly three decades of memories worth of him trying to woo me or kill me, not to mention how I spent almost just as long locked up under the Evil Queen's 'care,' having not much _but_ those memories on my mind every day. I think that I can only deal with getting to know only _one_ parent at a time."

"And you're feeling that it's Tink?"

"I am. She seems pretty cool to start with… and I've never known what it's like to have a proper mother."

"Completely understandable. What's keeping you from going to her _now?"_

"Nerves, I think." Belle actually giggled and pointed to her glass. "I also have all this iced tea to drink, and no bloody way am I going to let it go to waste. Plus, I just want to hang out with you for a little bit longer."

"Oh, really?"

"Uh-huh. On top of that, you and I are all each other has when it comes to having such strange parents. We ought to stick together."

Baelfire lifted up his coffee mug, causing Belle to follow suit with her tea glass.

"I'll drink to that."

The two clinked their cups together and this time enjoyed their drinks knowing that all family times and family drama aside, they were going to be friends for life now.


	17. My Child

Before long, Belle found herself knocking on the Charmings' front door because she'd figured that their home would be the first place Tinker Bell would go for shelter.

Snow answered the door and let her in. "What *hic* can we *hic* help you *hic* with?"

The poor thing had the hiccups and Belle had to work hard not laugh, although she wondered if the other princess was also pregnant.

"How long have you had the hiccups?"

"Tw- *hic* twenty min- *hic* minutes."

Deciding it would far too cruel to prolong Snow's agony, Belle got to her point. "Is Tinker Bell here? I'd like to talk her."

"Second *hic* room on the left *hic* upstairs."

Belle thanked her and when she arrived at the correct bedroom, she saw her mother lying on the bed, apparently asleep with her hands resting instinctively on her baby bump. Tinker Bell appeared very content and Belle didn't want to wake her, so she turned to leave.

"Don't go, Belle."

She turned back around at the sound of her name to see that her mother was awake now and sitting up, watching her.

"I was resting my eyes, love. Did you come to visit me?"

Belle nodded. "Yeah, I did."

Tinker Bell held out a hand to her. "Please come closer."

Belle eagerly obliged and the second her hand made contact with Tinker Bell's, a shot of yellow energy transferred itself from her body to her mother, who gave a small wince.

"Nothing like an extra jump start to the system…"

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Belle asked worriedly.

"Not at all." The older fairy assured her. "Your magic is kicking in, and I think we made that connection because you grew inside me."

The last part of that statement gave Belle a sudden reality check and she took some calming breaths as tears began to fall down her face.

"Is this really happening? I don't even know what it's like to have a real mother because my stepmother was in my life for less than two years before she died. I don't even know what it's like to really be loved by a mother…"

Tinker Bell made an affectionate noise and pulled Belle into a sitting position on the bed, proceeding to help her out of her coat and shoes. Unsurprisingly, the librarian became even more emotional than she was and just melted into her mother's hug.

"I've got you, my tiny love." Tinker Bell wiped Belle's tears. "Mummy's here. I'm here, I here."

Belle finally broke down completely as the gravity of the situation settled in, and she wept like a little girl. Tinker Bell held her patiently, rocking her and kissing her. She could hardly believe this was happening and didn't want it to end because she'd never thought she'd even see Belle again. Even now, she was caressing Belle's beautiful silky long hair and tracing the outlines of her face, just so she could memorize her.

"The first time I saw you, I couldn't believe you were mine because you were incredibly perfect, healthy and happy within an hour of being born."

Belle sat cross-legged from her and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Then what about the first time you held me?"

"All I could think about was how soft and warm you were. You'll understand when your little one comes."

"Why didn't you tell Hook about me?"

Tinker Bell sighed. Of _course_ her firstborn had inherited the straightforwardness of her father.

"I had zero means of contact with him, anyway, and when I realized you were on the way, I decided that the less people who knew about you, the better."

"What? Why?"

"You're going to find out eventually, but when most fairies converse amongst themselves, they have a tendency to become very self-righteous and think they're above humans. The last thing I wanted was for someone to sell me out to the fairies and risk you getting discovered by them."

"I can't really argue with that logic." Belle decided. "If things were different and you'd kept me, would you have looked for the Jolly Roger so we could be with my father and live as a family of explorers?"

"Probably not until you were five or so… I won't gross you out with the details, but it was love at first sight for he and I, even though we were only together for less than a night. Even after all these years now, it feels like our hearts are bound together."

"Then where would we have gone since I'm half human and I can't go home to Paradisi, ever?"

"You're not going to like the answer."

Belle stared her down. "Try me."

"If things had been different, I would've run off somewhere with Regina, and you'd be calling her 'Auntie Regina' now."

This shocked Belle so much that she literally couldn't say anything.

"She's my best friend, Belle, and I knew her before she was the 'Evil Queen.' I knew her when she was just Queen Regina and although she'll deny it now, she was trying to kill herself when we met by making it look like she'd fallen off her balcony. She'll say the railing broke, but you say tomatoes and I say tamahtoes…"

"Back up a second." Belle held her hands up in a timeout position. "Why did you save her?"

"Because I wanted to prove to Blue that I wasn't as utterly useless as she'd thought me to be for the first three hundred years off my life, and then when I got to know Regina, I saw and believed in the good in her."

"Now I know which parent I got my power of love and faith from." Belle suddenly frowned as she recalled something Tinker Bell had said earlier. "Why were you going to run away with Regina when she had a castle at her disposal?"

"Because she was really miserable and really didn't relish the idea of having motherhood thrust upon her as it had been in the form of Snow White."

Tinker Bell arched her back as the twins chose that moment to change positions and stretch out.

"I think your siblings are being silly and using magic to conceal their true sizes and how big their home is."

Tinker Bell had a more pressing theory but didn't say because she didn't want Belle to worry.

"Perhaps they're being thoughtful."

"Yeah, right." Tinker Bell scoffed. "They're big and they haven't started kicking yet, but I can feel them moving. Here."

Tinker Bell took one of Belle's hands and placed it over the swell in her middle. At first glance, the fairy looked like she was in her second trimester, but Belle could clearly feel two well-developed babies moving around under her palm.

"The twins feel like they'll be ready to come out soon, and they're not kicking?"

"Refusing, more like. I know they're quite strong because I often feel their legs and knees pressed up against my side all the time. It looks like they've got your father's prankster spirit, so I'm doomed either way."

"Do the twins have names yet?"

"I'm afraid not. Getting your father to sit down for that conversation will be hard at the moment, the way things are going."

"Well, don't wait for him forever on this. Me, I like Ezekiel and Leonora for my own children."

Belle stopped to think.

"For my siblings, though, I like Jacob and Bijou."

"Those names are perfect." Tinker Bell sighed happily. "I can't believe I'm sitting here with all three of my children when I never thought I'd be able to have any more after _you."_

"I'm actually getting excited about being a big sister," Belle admitted. "And I can't wait to meet my brother and sister… or two brothers… or two sisters…"

Belle moved closer to her mother and held both of her hands in hers.

"I love you already, Tinker Bell, and I'm so glad you're my mother because I finally know who's been missing from the mother-shaped hole I've had in my heart for my entire life. Please don't leave me like you did, ever again."

"I promise you I won't, and that I'm not going anywhere. I love you, my sweet girl."

Tinker Bell swept her up in yet another hug and it probably wouldn't be the last hug that Belle would get from the other fairy, but she didn't really care.

She finally had her mother.


	18. And We Run

Belle stayed with her mother for the better part of two hours, filling her in on her life and getting to know her. She stayed until they both felt better and afterwards, Tinker Bell decided that she wanted to go exploring. Truth be told, she wanted to find Regina. The Charmings lived up to their name, and Tinker Bell had already grown to love them deeply, but Regina represented stability, and that was exactly what the fairy was needing right now.

It took another hour, but Tinker Bell found her sister-friend in her office where she was happily tending to potted orchid. Since the door was open, Tinker Bell knocked on the door frame and just about melted when Regina looked up from her task and gave her a sunny smile.

"Hey, Tink!" She put down her watering can and beckoned her in. "Come sit down and make yourself comfortable! Would you like something to drink?"

Regina was already moving towards her liquor stand, causing Tinker Bell to wrinkle her nose as she eased herself onto the couch.

"It's not like how things used to be, Regina, when we'd sit at taverns and drink while we talked about our families. I tried to drown my sorrows in rum once when I was pregnant with Belle. She was very displeased and caused me to have a bad reaction to it, and as a result, I've scarcely touched it since."

Regina joined her on the couch, handing her a glass with amber-colored liquid.

"I'm actually allergic to rum now, so luckily for you, all that's in here is apple cider. Bonus fact: the apples I use to make it are grown on the trees in my backyard."

Impressed and wondering what apple cider was, Tinker Bell clinked her glass with Regina's and downed her drink. She actually liked it, but waited to see how the twins felt about it. They didn't have an aversion to it, but something else happened.

"Oh, gods!"

Tinker Bell's eyes filled with tears at the soft tapping sensations she was feeling in her lower abdomen - the twins were kicking her for the first time!

"Regina," her voice was a near whisper. "Your godchildren are kicking! Quick - give me your hand!"

Touched to be included in something so personal, Regina obliged and quickly added her other hand. She could sense them very easily and they were aware of her the way they'd been aware of Belle, but they showed off even more for Regina, kicking against her hands and pushing their heels against her.

"They really like you." Tinker Bell remarked. "Can I ask you something?"

Regina tore her attention away from the babies and nodded. "Of course."

"I know that you've said having more children is a pipe dream for you, but have you ever indulged yourself in your dreams and thought about what you'd name your next children?"

"Yes, actually." Regina admitted. "I named Henry after my father, but I also really like Roland for a boy."

"That's cute. What name would you give to Roland's sister?"

"Grace. Goodness knows I need that in my life, and I've always really loved that name."

Tinker Bell grinned and then leaned back against one of the couch arms and tried to channel her good thoughts and positive energy towards her babies because they were getting borderline obnoxious now. Her smile faltered as the babies grew even more active.

"The twins are wide awake for whatever account now, and are bouncing around because they think it's playtime." The blond woman let out a puff of air. "My feet are also swelling like they did when I bore Belle."

Moved by Tinker Bell's plight, Regina set her feet in her lap and removed the fairy's shoes. Very gently, Regina began massaging her friend's feet to get the kinks out.

"Thank you." Tinker Bell sighed in relief and appreciation. "I had to do this whole thing alone last time."

"Well, I promise you that you won't be alone because we're going to be best friends for the rest of our days, but I'm especially sticking with you for as long as it takes for Killian to come to his senses and remember how much he loves you."

Tinker Bell meant to thank Regina, but all that came out was a small grunt because the top twin had just kicked her with both feet.

"I don't know why, but I think there's some kind of concealment spell active around my womb."

"How can you tell?"

"Because physically, my body feels almost like it did when Belle was at full-term gestation, and she was overdue."

Regina studied her friend's physical appearance with renewed interest. "If this isn't your children showing off magical potential, then whoever is doing this has a really good grasp on a very hard kind of magic. I'm capable of doing it, but I wouldn't."

"Then maybe it's Blue messing with me."

"That's really reaching, even for you." Regina started working on Tinker Bell's other foot. "Just because your mother is who she is, that doesn't mean you should jump to conclusions and assume that she's being spiteful towards you. Rise above it."

"Okay, okay, but you're one to talk, seeing as Cora was incredibly power-hungry and used her magic to get whatever she wanted. I'm glad I never met her."

"As am I, although I'm quite certain that you would've beaten her in a battle of the wits."

Tinker Bell just let out another small groan as she experienced a few more sharp kicks. "Belle was nowhere this cheeky or mean-spirited with me! My children hate me!"

"Would you like me to undo the concealment spell?" Regina offered.

"That's very sweet, but I think we should just leave them alone and let them take their time."

"Are you hungry?"

That last question threw Tinker Bell for a loop because she hadn't been expecting it.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Surely all this excitement is working up an appetite for you, and you _are_ eating for the three of you now, so…"

Right on cue, a loud rumble was heard from Tinker Bell's stomach.

"Yeah, I could eat right now."

"Excellent. Come with me to the diner, and we'll have hamburgers; Belle is very fond of them, apparently."

"But what's a hamburger?"

Mayor Mills shook her head and sighed.

As clever as Tinker Bell was, she was brand new to the modern world with so much to learn.

They had a long way to go.


	19. Too Close

As it turned out, Tinker Bell was a huge fan of hamburgers. Ice cream sundaes, too, and while she was in the process of splitting one with Regina, she experienced her first brain freeze. Regina was very amused by it, but still helped her tough it out.

After they finished their food, the two friends left the diner together for a stroll and when they returned, they saw that the welcome home party was already under way. Even still, Regina and Tinker Bell hung back, one not wanting to be in the spotlight, the other with different matters on her mind altogether.

* * *

"Look at her."

Regina knew exactly which 'her' the fairy was talking about and rolled her eyes. Blue was near the back door, conversing with Leroy and Happy, looking like she didn't have a single care in the world. Regina also knew for a fact that Tinker Bell hadn't spoken to Blue since trying to choke her to death.

"We are going to talk to her."

Tinker Bell recoiled at Regina's words. _"Excuse_ me?"

"If I was able to get through to Cora, than you can get through to Blue."

"But-"

"No 'buts' about this one." Regina started walking towards Blue with Tinker Bell in tow. "Do not make me frogmarch you."

When they reached Blue, the dwarves practically bolted, not wanting to get caught in the middle of a conversation between a witch and two fairies if things went south. Blue registered Regina's presence, but only had eyes for her daughter.

"Green…"

Annoyed that her own mother wouldn't use the name she preferred, Tinker Bell said nothing, so Regina jumped to her aid out of reflex.

"Her name is _Tinker Bell."_

"I know." Blue was almost apologetic. "I just didn't think that I'd ever-"

Tinker Bell remembered how to talk and cut her off. "That you'd ever see me again? Likewise."

Regina all but clawed her way back into the conversation, desperate to keep the fairies from canceling each other out.

"Give Tink her wings back."

"In case you forgot, I don't take orders from you."

"She helped us. She earned it. She even got pixie dust to work again."

That changes things a great deal, Blue thought.

"Really? Let's see."

"Well, briefly." Tinker Bell admitted sheepishly as she fiddled with the vial of dust hanging around her neck. "I mean, it's not something I can do at the drop of a hat."

Blue resumed her superior attitude. "Well, then there's your problem."

"What?"

"You don't believe in yourself anymore. How can I believe in you if you can't even do that?"

Blue walked away without any further regard, and rather than admit how damaged her sense of pride had just become, Tinker Bell squared her shoulders and stood tall.

"I need a drink."

Regina followed silently by her side. No matter want happened, she'd support Tinker Bell and take care of her because they were family now, and family took care of family.

Although if Tinker Bell couldn't drink any liquor because of her pregnancy, then Regina would also refrain from drinking - as a sign of solidarity.

Right now, it sounded like two glasses of apple cider were in order.

* * *

Later, after visiting the ladies' room in the back hallway of the diner, Tinker Bell bumped into Killian. It was the first time they'd seen each other since their tiff about the status of their accord.

"Hook. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, love."

Satisfied by this answer, Tinker Bell smiled and began walking away, only to be stopped by Killian placing his hooked hand on her shoulder.

"The question is - are _you?"_

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Killian scrambled for words because he didn't think he'd get this far; knowing his love, she would've shut him down by now if she was truly upset with him.

"Well, I know that Storybrooke can be a disorienting place if you're not used to it."

He held up his rum bottle while Tinker Bell sighed inwardly, disappointed that she'd fallen for his ultra-lame attempt at wooing her.

"We both know that you want more than a drink. You want me to help you take your mind off Emma."

The pirate gave his beloved fairy a smoldering grin. "Emma? Who's Emma? I only see you."

"I may have lost my _wings, _but I haven't lost my _dignity. _That's _never_ gonna hap-"

Tinker Bell's angry tirade was interrupted by a chilling scream from outside. Abandoning their issues, they rushed outside to investigate, although they didn't hear any more screams. That was the moment, however, when David and Emma were stepping out of their strange horseless carriage.

Both newcomers looked puzzled, having heard the scream, too.

"The hell was that?" Emma inquired.

"I have the same question." Killian responded.

"Wait." Emma looked from the pirate to the fairy. "Were you two…?"

Tinker Bell was repulsed immediately._ "No."_

Killian brushed some imaginary dust off his belt buckle. "Perhaps."

The scream cut through the air again, but louder this time. David was the first to pinpoint the direction of its origin.

"There."

He ran in the direction of the nunnery with Tinker Bell, Emma and Killian following him.

When they arrived at the nunnery, they were greeted with a sight that made Tinker Bell herself want to scream: Blue was doing her best to flee a coal black shadow that was flying after her with the intent to kill. The others looked on in horror as the shadow caught up to her on the convent steps and ripped Blue's own shadow from her.

It was common knowledge that when one's shadow is ripped away from their body, it's a very painful and instant, inescapable death.

Of course, that didn't stop David from running over to Blue as she collapsed onto the ground like a rag doll.

"She's gone." David reported sadly as he checked her pulse.

"Why would the shadow kill her?" Tinker Bell asked.

"No idea, love." Killian was almost disturbed that Tinker Bell was able to speak as if nothing had happened. "But I _do_ know that the shadow only takes orders from one person."

Tinker Bell knew the answer immediately and swore justice or the utmost retribution - whichever came first - before Emma even said the name.

"Pan."


	20. Sweet Nothing

It was now or never.

Snow White had to tell Charming about their impending bundle of joy before anything else happened. Even today, Tinker Bell had been reinstated as a fairy after capturing Pan's shadow, after which the presumed-dead Mother Superior had come back to life after being dead for a short time.

Life in Storybroooke was very fast-paced and sometimes didn't let you have a chance to stop and tell the ones you love about what was really on your mind. Snow certainly had her chance now because Emma was out at her office for the night, and Henry was at Regina's house.

The loft was blessedly still and Snow would be a fool if she didn't take this chance.

* * *

"Charming, we need to talk."

In little more than her boxer shorts and a poorly buttoned button-down shirt she'd borrowed from her husband, Snow had Charming's attention the second she'd climbed into bed and straddled his lap.

"I'm all ears."

He grinned as he put his hands on Snow's hips and leaned back against the pillows just so he could drink in how beautiful she was to him.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"About how sorry I am that I haven't been totally honest with you about the baby thing."

Charming became crestfallen. "You don't want one anymore? Did you really change your mind?"

"No! No, no, no!" Snow quickly planted a reassuring kiss on his lips. "No, that's not it at all! I still want that, more than anything; I want a big family, actually."

Now the prince let out a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry."

She absently ran her hands over her husband's broad chest, admiring his muscles. Charming took her hands in his and kissed her fingertips, making her giggle.

"Do you like what you see, Snow?"

"Always have." She winked. "Always will."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"This."

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Snow undid the buttons on her shirt and quickly shrugged it off.

After making sure that Charming's mind hadn't left the conversation when he saw that she wasn't wearing anything underneath her shirt, she redirected his attention to her swollen midriff. It took Charming a minute to realize what he was looking at, but only because he was so surprised.

"You're _already_ pregnant?"

"Mhm." She grinned as Charming's hands all but flew to the baby bump, as if drawn in by a magnetic pull. "I had a feeling about it for awhile, but didn't stop to confirm until after Echo Cave."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well," she laughed. "We were busy saving Henry, meeting Tinker Bell and then stopping Hook and Neal from trying to kill each other while Pan kept trying to kill all of us."

"Regina's attitude was also getting the best of her, as I recall..."

Snow nodded. "So you see? There wasn't really time."

"Then what about everything that happened at Echo Cave?"

"That was me spilling a secret and trying not to have my heart hurt any more than it was at the time." Snow let out a shaky breath and held Charming's hands in place with hers. "But it's all okay now. Our family is together, we have Emma back with us and now we can finally give her a sibling."

"Another little princess, and I have name ideas."

"Well, you're going to want to rethink them because we actually have a baby _prince_ joining our family this time."

Charming lit up immediately and in the blink of an eye, had Snow propped up against the pillows while covered her in kisses. By the time he was done, Snow was a little dizzy but not complaining because she was a very big fan of Charming's kisses.

Why had she been so worried?

"I used my enchanted necklace to confirm it, and of course, it told me that the little one growing away in there is a boy."

"There's only one baby, though, right?" Charming asked quickly. "Not that I'd mind twins because I _am_ a twin, but also because I just want to know what we'll be in for."

"I can only feel one baby squirming around there, but I'll be able to go to the doctor's office tomorrow to get everything checked out properly."

Charming looked back at the swell that was housing his darling little boy and something suddenly occurred to him. "Snow, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but your belly is pretty big. How far along do you think you are?"

"Four months." She answered promptly. "I remember exactly when our son was made, but another part of the reason I haven't said anything is because I really don't want to jinx it. I don't want to wake up and find that I've been dreaming this."

"Oh, Snow..."

"And I really don't want to wake up and have someone take our baby boy from us. We've been separated from Emma twice, and I couldn't bear to be separated from this baby, too."

Charming took his wife in his arms held her, feeling her bare skin pressed up against his. Snow's bare belly was flush with Charming's washboard abs and he reveled in the feeling that he was that close in proximity to the baby, but became distracted as he heard Snow cry quietly.

"All of this is really real, Snow. I'm here, you're here and we have Emma back, and even a little boy who will be joining us in five months." He kissed her on the forehead. "Nobody will take our son from us, and on the off chance if anyone tries anything, I'll do everything in my power to keep our son safe. I mean, shoot - I died to protect Emma. Not every parent can say that."

"So very true. Does this mean that we're going to be okay?"

"That's exactly what it means." Chamring ran a hand over Snow's belly. "I was actually thinking the other day of names for our next children. Since we're having a son, I was thinking of Maddox or Zane."

"Zane. I like Zane." She let out a soft gasp as she felt a sudden shift in her womb. "I think he does, too."

Charming laid Snow back on the bed and spoke to Zane. "Hey, little man. I'm your dad, and I just want you to know that I love you forever."

Completely caught up in talking to the baby, Charming leaned on his frontside and propped himself up with his elbows to talk to Zane easier.

Snow thought the scene before her was the most beautiful thing in the world.


	21. Last Night On Earth

**I'm on a roll with these updates ;) be warned - some of this chapter might bring cause for tissues! **

* * *

_"Mumma, no! Please don't leave me! I'll be good and hide!" _

_"I'm so sorry, my sweet baby girl. I'm so, so sorry." The girl's mother hugged her tightly. "This is the way it needs to be until I can come back when it's all safe again for you to come home." _

_The little girl wrapped her arms and legs around her mother, hanging on like a baby koala. In return, her mother did her best to comfort her with soothing tones and back rubs. _

_"Things are really scary right now, and I need you to be safe, my little Olivia-Dove. You're the most important thing in the world to me, and I love you so much." _

_"If you love me, then why do you gotta go?" _

_The innocence of the question went straight to her mother's heart, and it was all she could do to not have her own breakdown. _

_"You'll understand one day when you're bigger." _

_Olivia-Dove began to sob, truly desperate. "Mumma, no! PLEASE!" _

_"Please don't cry, baby." Her mother kissed her forehead and touched her cheek to it. "I'm not going to leave you completely alone, though. You're going to be with Flora, Fauna and Merryweather; they're fairies, remember?" _

_Olivia-Dove nodded reluctantly and waved to the three beautiful fairies who were seated around a wooden table on the other side of the cottage. They looked friendly and inviting, especially when all three of them waved back. _

_"Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are going to take care of you, play with you and teach you how to read and write. When you get older, they'll even teach you about what it's like to be in love, and just what to do when you find the prince you want to spend the rest of your life with." _

_"But what if I wanna marry a princess, instead?" _

_"Then you come introduce her to me so I can give her a hug to welcome her to our family." Olivia-Dove's mother kissed her on the nose. "Do you still have your necklace on?" _

_The little one held up a silver chain around her neck that had a dove charm on it. "Right here!" _

_"Good girl. Do you remember why I gave it to you?" _

_"So you'd know it was me when you came back, in case I'm way bigger." _

_"Exactly." The girl's mother, who some thought was far too young to have a three-year-old, hugged her and kissed her one last time. "I love you so incredibly much, my Olivia-Dove. Remember that." _

_The girl in question finally accepted what was going on and gave a solemn nod. "Okay, mumma. I love you forever and ever." _

_With a heavy heart, her mother crossed over to the table where the fairies were and handed her daughter to them. "Please take good care of her. She's all I have." _

_The fairy dressed in blue took the little girl and sat her on her hip. "Olivia-Dove will be in the best of care. You just take good care of yourself and leave here before someone finds us." _

_"Of course." The young woman nodded. "Thank you so much. I'm forever in your debt."_

_She quickly exited the cottage and mounted her horse, who was grazing on grass at the foot of a nearby tree. Without looking back, she drew her cloak a little closer around herself and pulled her hood on to block out the cold. _

_"Come on, Ichabod! Let's go!" _

_The girl spurred her horse into a gallop and the further they rode from the cottage, the more the girl felt her heart breaking into a million tiny pieces. _

_She'd just given her daughter away to give her her best chance, but that didn't stop her whole heart from aching. _

* * *

"Belle, Belle!"

The librarian snapped out of her flashback when she felt Rumplestiltskin shaking her shoulder.

"W-what's going on?"

Looking around, Belle saw she was curled up in a ball in the corner of the back room of the pawn shop. She didn't even remember getting to that spot. Rumplestiltskin was crouched in front of her and wiping her tears.

"I think you were having a flashback, sweetheart. You've been crying and saying 'I had to, I had to.' Do you have any idea what that means?"

Belle's heart sank fast as everything came rushing back, and she got to her feet with surprising speed, only to cross over to the bed so she could sit down on it.

"I have a secret, Rum, and it's been buried for decades now. I'm so sorry."

He joined her on the bed quickly. "What is it?"

"I already have a child besides this one." Belle touched a hand to her baby bump. "About four years before we met, one of the nights in our court was horrendously drunk and had his way with me. He was thoroughly punished for what he did to me, but I ended up carrying his child."

"Do you have a son or a daughter?"

"I have a little girl, and I had to hide her because I didn't want the peasants to kidnap her during the insurrection that occurred during the ogre wars."

"Where is she?"

"With a trio of wise fairies in a forest between Avonlea and the kingdom that Princess Aurora's family comes from. In fact, these three fairies are the ones who raised her mother, Briar Rose."

Tears began pouring down Belle's face as even more memories came flooding back. "I have no idea why she didn't come over with Regina's curse, but now I've begun to think that she was frozen by it."

Rumplestiltskin draped a blanket over Belle's shoulders. "How old would that make her?"

"I had her a month after I turned seventeen and the last time I saw her, she was a wee thing... she'd be about three."

"A wee thing, indeed… what's your daughter's name?"

"Olivia-Dove."

"That's quite beautiful."

"Thank you." Belle exhaled a shaky breath. "Her father was caught and punished for what he did to me, and I was to give Olivia-Dove up when she was born, but I couldn't because I'd fallen in love with her, and when she was growing inside me, she kept me from going crazy. Gaston despised her greatly because he saw her as a daily reminder that I, his fiancée, was no longer a virgin. He would say I was because he was embarrassed I'd had sex with another man, even if it was well against my will, and he was also trying to save himself some honor because where I come from, honor is everything. Behind closed doors, he'd call me a defective whore."

Rumplestiltskin felt his heart breaking at what he was hearing. "Oh, Belle..."

"Do not pity me." she said sharply. "I'm strong, I survived it and I've healed a long time ago. That's what matters."

"Fair enough, but why have you never said anything about your daughter before?"

"I always wanted to, but I never could because thinking about being here without her physically hurts my heart. I also don't know how she'd handle no longer being an only child because she'd have Bae and little Zeke or Leo to contend with."

"Does anyone in Storybrooke besides us and Maurice know about Olivia-Dove?"

"No. I couldn't even tell Tinker Bell about her, not after hearing about she gave me up to give me my best chance at life. My mother would cry more if she knew that part of her family is still missing, and if Hook knew, he'd stop at nothing to get Livvie back for me."

"Isn't that last part a good thing, though?"

"I suppose it is, but he'd do it just to prove himself to me and I don't need that, nor do I have the time or energy to deal with it and any of the potential consequences."

"I wish you'd told me about all of this while we were still in the Enchanted Forest." Rumplestiltskin sounded wistful. "I could've helped you look for her."

"But now I've missed my chance to get my daughter back and bring her into our family! She probably hates me because I've kept her waiting for all these years!"

"Ah, but Olivia-Dove doesn't know she's supposed to even be an adult, does she? As far as she knows, she's only been waiting for a few months."

The sorcerer had a valid point and it actually made Belle feel better. "Thank you, Rumple."

"Anything for you." He kissed her on the top of her head. "What do you need right now?"

"To feel you." Belle whispered, looking straight into his eyes. "Please?"

Rumplestiltskin knew exactly what Belle was getting at, and pretty soon, the two were passionately making love, like it was their last night on earth.


	22. Some Of Us

Between everything that happened with the body-switching business concerning Henry and Pan, then finding out who Pan really was, only to watch Rumplestiltskin sacrifice himself about ten minutes later to save them all, Belle would remember the following morning as the morning from hell.

* * *

And the moment the purple haze had cleared after they landed in the Enchanted Forest, Belle had a vision that made her want to spew the contents of her stomach: Tinker Bell was shoeless, in rags and beaten, bruised and bleeding on someone's cold dungeon floor.

Although clearly terrified of whoever had put her in that state, Tinker Bell's arms were wrapped around her now massively pregnant middle, protecting her children inside it. They were her main concern, even magic was a secondary matter. In all that fear, there was only one name she cried out as she wept in fright: _Belle._

* * *

"You're thinking about your mother, aren't you?"

Belle jumped when she saw that Regina had joined her. "Yes, but how did you know?"

"Because ever since we landed back here, you've been unusually quiet. Did you see her in that dungeon?"

"How did you know about _that?" _

"I saw it, also. Tink must've sent the vision to both of us because we're her family."

Belle nodded absently, already trying to keep the memory of the dungeon. Hopefully, she'd be to use it as a clue to find Tinker Bell.

"Let me come with you."

These words registered with Belle. "What? Regina, no. I don't care if you're Tinker Bell's best friend or what, but a certain someone would be devastated if you were apart right now."

Belle was referring to Robin Hood's little boy, Roland. For some inexplicable reason, he really loved Regina and had attached himself to her the second they'd met. At the moment, he was saddled on Regina's hip, sound asleep and clutching the stuffed monkey toy she'd given him.

"Alright, alright, but you're pregnant, Belle."

"Thanks for the reminder." The princess shot back sarcastically. "It's not even public knowledge yet."

"Things like a pregnancy can't be kept quiet for long in our family, not with all of the magical and/or observant people we have," Regina rolled her eyes. "And you're showing more than you think, dear. If you really don't want me to come, then perhaps you should consider Balefire, or one of the Merry Men to accompany you."

"That sounds reasonable, but just as long as nobody tells the Charmings-"

"Nobody tells us what?"

Having heard their collective name, David and Snow had wandered over to where Belle and Regina were standing by the horses.

"Why is privacy nonexistent in my family?" Belle groaned, unfortunately used to the Charmings interrupting her serious moments.

"You learn to deal with it." Snow chirped.

"What's this whole 'as long as nobody tells the Charmings' thing?"

"It's about my mother. I need to go find her."

"Tinker Bell is _here?" _

"Somewhere, in a castle dungeon, and she's very pregnant, hurt and scared. Someone is holding her captive."

"And you want to go get her?"

"Snow, I just met her, but she's my _mother._ I have a baby on the way, and I don't want him or her to grow up knowing that I missed a chance to bring part of our missing family home."

A little bit of worry still nagged at the back of Snow's mind. "You aren't even from this part of the realm, Belle. Avonlea is very far, by the Infinite Forest. How would you know where to go?"

_"See?"_ Belle emitted a frustrated sound and stomped her foot. _"This_ is why I didn't want to involve you or David - because you're both _busybodies!_"

It was hard for Snow not to laugh because Belle was one of those people who was incredibly adorable, even when mad. David, however, had always looked out for Belle from a distance, and that made it easy for him to have pity on her.

"What exactly do you need?"

"A horse and supplies, and perhaps a person who knows the lay of the land because I have no desire to get lost. I will not ask you or your wife to come because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you're beautiful family because of me."

"Then we will help you-"

Still in her maternal instinct mode, Snow interrupted before she could stop herself. "How do we know that you're telling the truth?"

Belle was affronted. "How _dare_ you suggest-"

Sleeping child on her hip and all, Regina stood in front of Belle, actually protecting her. "I will vouch for the princess because Tinker Bell sent the exact same vision to me, and wherever she is, she's frightened out of her mind. The fear could induce her labor, and if she goes into labor _now,_ things could go very, _very_ wrong."

"But we saw her yesterday," David shifted his weight from one foot to the other, confused. "And she looks like she still has awhile to go."

"Well, she doesn't and it's too long to explain why, but if I had to guess, I'd say she has a month or less left. I suppose this is the part where I mention that she's carrying twins."

David was almost heartsick at this revelation and turned back to Belle. "Then we must not delay any longer. Who would you like to be your traveling companion?"

A new voice joined the conversation, happy and hopeful. "Belle, is that you?"

The princess' heart almost stopped when she recognized the voice and when she turned to see who it was, she cried out in joy.

"Mulan! I'm so happy to see you!"

The two old friends embraced, but Mulan quickly pulled back when she felt Belle's baby bump press against her midriff. Mulan touched a hand to the swell and gave Belle a delighted smile.

To Mulan's relief, she didn't feel jealous about it the way she felt sad and jealous about Aurora's baby.

"You're pregnant? Congratulations; this is wonderful!"

Belle grinned and thanked her, deciding to just let it go about keeping her pregnancy a secret. Right now, Mulan was a godsend.

"Not to be rude, but what are you doing here? Are you part of Robin Hood's band?"

"It is a long story, but yes, I am and I was exploring just now, but what is the matter? Why are you sad?"

"Please don't judge me, but I have a pressing quest that I need to embark upon immediately."

"Belle, even if we haven't seen each other in far too long, you are my friend. I learned along the way last time not to judge you, and I won't this time. Is it because of the baby?"

"That, and my mother is in peril - no exaggeration - _and_ she's further along in a pregnancy than I am, and being held hostage."

Mulan's response was immediate. "If this is for your family, then I'll go anywhere with you and I _will_ defend you and your child."

Belle couldn't believe her luck and made a mental note to tell Mulan about Olivia-Dove the second she could.

But of course, because she belonged to a family ruled by a mother hen of a matriarch, Snow chimed in again.

"Are you sure you should do this, Mulan? I know you're a noble person, but these are dangerous times."

"I am well aware of that, but long before you and I crossed paths, Belle helped me on a quest to help reunite two people I've come to deeply love. Not helping her now would bring my house dishonor, and it would also be unkind."

The warrior broke eye contact with Snow for a split second to glance at her bump before fixing her with a penetrating gaze.

"Above all, I understand your concern and fears because I am also a mother. I have not seen my daughter in ages and I would do anything to have her in my arms again, but in the meantime, I will protect what's left of my family, even if it means going on quests when this land is nearing the status of 'rogue wasteland.' Wouldn't you take this chance if you could, to protect Emma, if she was pregnant and had a pressing task to complete?"

For a moment, Belle wondered how old Mulan really was, and if she saw her as a daughter or a friend, while at the same time, Snow finally gave in.

"Of course. I'm sorry to worry so much - all of you are like family to Charming and I, and then cost of coming back here was to be permanently separated from Emma and Henry. My heart is all over the place right now, and I just don't know what I'd do if anything happened to any one of you."

Finally understanding because she saw the group of people before her in the exact same way, Belle did a very surprising thing: she embraced Snow in a very warm hug, the way a child does before leaving to go somewhere far. Even when she stood back, she held Snow's hands in hers and smiled warmly at her.

"Mulan will take care of me, and I will take care of her."

_"Promise_ me that."

Belle squeezed Snow's hands reassuringly. "I promise you that Mulan and I will take care of each other. We'll be back with Tinker Bell before you know it."


	23. Time Is Running Out

Killian, meanwhile, was off in the countryside, searching desperately for the Jolly Roger.  
Like Belle and Regina, he had also seen the vision of the scared and hurt Tinker Bell, but he had no idea what to make of it. True, he loved her more than anything and on most days, they behaved like an old married couple, but they hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms, had they?

* * *

And Killian was a pirate, meaning that part of his old soul belonged to the Jolly Roger by default alone. He was obligated to look for her, even if that mean wandering around aimlessly around on a borrowed horse until he could find some kind of clue that would point him in the direction.

* * *

Eventually, Killian stopped to have a light lunch of bread, chimera meat and water. He began dozing afterwards, but not for long because he was woken up by someone rummaging through his food sack, which he'd carelessly left by the base of the tree he was under.

The pirate was ready to defend his food, but what he didn't expect was for the would-be robber to be pint-sized in figure. He didn't get a good look at her because she had on a cloak over her dress that was a little too big for her and the hood obscured her face, but she halted in her tracks when she realized she'd been caught.

Killian squatted down so he didn't seem so threatening. "Hello, there. Are you hungry?"

Nod.

Killian's heart went out to her because she was far too young to be living the life of a bandit. If he had to guess, he wouldn't have put her past three years old.

"Well, all you had to do was ask; no need to steal anything, little love."

"I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright." Killian wrapped up a small bread loaf, block of cheese and two apples in a cloth and handed it to her. "How's that?"

"Good! Thank you!"

The little girl pushed her hood back and readjusted her hold on the food. That's when Killian made a startling connection: the child looked _just_ like what _Belle_ had probably looked like at that age, and now that he thought about it, the child had the same kind of accent that Belle had, too!

Killian became very confused - did his daughter have another child besides the one she was currently pregnant with?

"What's your name?"

She was about to answer but caught sight of Killian's hook and let out a terrified squeak. "Pirate! Pirates are bad!"

The little girl clutched her new food sack tightly to her front and proceeded to stare Killian down, something that the pirate found quite discombobulating because the only other people he knew with that death stare were Tinker Bell and Belle.

A split second later, Killian was met with a near-blinding orange light and some kind of centrifugal force that knocked him back. When he sat up, it took him another second to realize that the little bandit had used magic on him, and as he looked into the distance, he saw that she was running in the direction that she'd come from as fast as her tiny legs could carry her.

Curious about where she was going, but moreover what a little girl was doing alone in the woods, Killian got on his horse and followed her and caught up to the girl in no time to see that she was camped out in the mouth of a cave. Unless Killian's eyes were deceiving him, the companion she handed the food sack to was probably not much older than the little she-bandit… as well as a spitting image of Mulan the warrior, but en miniature!

What was _happening_ today?

"You're a pirate!" The first little girl squeaked again. "Pirates are bad!"

Unafraid, the mini-Mulan abandoned the food and approached Killian. "What's your name?"

"Killian." He turned his attention to her. "What's yours?"

"Lanying. Mama named me after a fairy."

The pirate wondered why Lanying was so trusting, but he just rolled with it.

"Well, that is quite impressive. How old are you?"

"Three! So is Olivia-Dove, plus she does _magic!"_

"Does she use the magic to protect you two?"

"Yeah!" Lanying tilted her head and gave Killian a curious look. "How come you're here?"

"Because I wanted to see why Olivia-Dove was out here in the forest. It worries me when I see little ones alone."

Lanying decided that she liked Killian and slung an arm around his neck. "Do you have children?"

"I have three, actually. One of them isn't quite a child anymore, and the other two haven't been born yet."

Killian straightened out a wrinkle in Lanying's cloak.

"May I ask you something?"

"Okay!"

"Where are your parents?"

"It was always just me and mama, but I lost her…"

Lanying sighed and rested her little head on Killian's shoulder, not wanting to say anything else on the matter. Meanwhile, Olivia-Dove looked up from the food she'd been working on dividing in portions with her magic. She had a scowl on her face that suggested she was upset at having her concentration disrupted.

_"My_ mama brought me to the fairies."

"Why are you not with them now?"

"Because fire is dangerous. After the fire, I had to go to another village, but they don't like me much 'cause I do magic. Enya told me to wait for her by the big tree, but she never came back. Then I got hungry and found you."

Killian's heart broke for Olivia-Dove now. In not so many words, she'd just described being abandoned. He wanted to comfort her, but he had a feeling that if he tried, she'd probably use magic on him again. Perhaps he'd just distract her with questions...

"Where did Lanying come from?"

"Enya didn't want her, either, so she waited with me at the tree and when nobody came back, she followed me."

Olivia-Dove drew herself up to her full height and gained a defensive posture.

"She's my bestest friend and one day, me and her are gonna get married, so we can't be without each other!"

"Livvie is my family." Lanying added fiercely.

"Take it easy, little loves. I'm not splitting anyone up, alright? There's just one thing I want to know."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember where the village is, where you lived with Enya?"

Olivia-Dove was horrified at the pirate's insinuation, so Lanying spoke up. "I remember where it is, and I can take us!"

Clearly trying to stall, Olivia-Dove posed the first question that popped into her head.

"Mister Killian, if you're a pirate, then where's your ship?"

"I've misplaced it at the moment."

Olivia-Dove actually giggled. "You're silly!"

"I aim to please, little one."

Not wanting to left out, Lanying got a word in. "I have a question for you."

"Ask away."

"Do you know my mama?"

"Actually, yes, but it's be quite awhile since I've seen her."

Olivia-Dove almost pushed Lanying out of the way when she realized they were on the subject of mothers.

"What about _my_ mumma? You said you have a daughter called Belle and that's _my_ mumma's name! Is she _mine?"_

"Perhaps, but I'm not sure."

Killian was actually dead certain that he was talking to his granddaughter, but he didn't want to dash her hopes. Luckily, she didn't really notice.

"I really, really miss her. If Enya doesn't want us, could we go with you?"

Olivia-Dove looked up at Killian with so much hope that he just didn't have the heart to say no. He also didn't fancy leaving the children to an unkind, unknown fate. He might even have a shot at returning them to their mothers, who would no doubt be wanting them back.

"Of course you two can come with me. It'll be an adventure."

Olivia-Dove and Lanying lit up; they had no idea that they were in for the biggest adventure of their lives.

* * *

Miles away, in the dungeon of a ruined castle, the Blue Fairy sat gazing over a crystal ball that showed her great-granddaughter, the tiny she-bandit and the warrior's daughter bonding with the pirate.

"No, no! Olivia-Dove can't already be here! _No!"_

All those years ago, it was her little great-granddaughter she'd foreseen to be the second savior, but her existence meant that Blue's days were now numbered, and that her epic showdown with Maleficent was actually on the horizon.

Blue really didn't want to die, not with her plans for world domination to consider and all, but then... as she'd watched over Belle and gotten to know her in Storybrooke, she was having second thoughts about harming her family for her own personal gain.

Tinker Bell would lose her mind with grief, Belle would sic Rumplestiltskin and Hook on her, and little Olivia-Dove would grow up to be cold and bitter.

There was also Lanying, but she was another story...

* * *

"Still hunched over that crystal ball, are you?"

Blue felt her stomach lurch in horror and her skin crawl at the sound of her captor's voice. Unfortunately, she had no choice to put on a brave front and face her.

"Auntie Elphaba..."

The ancient Wicked Witch smirked as she circled her niece. She knew full well of Blue's plans for world domination, but had her own tricks up her sleeve to beat the young one to it. In all honesty, she could just kill Blue where she stood, but she decided to have some fun with her for awhile.

"Hello, pet." Elphaba cooed to her like she was a small child and then clicked her tongue in disappointment. "You're a mess."

"Well, I wouldn't be if you stopped using your overgrown mongrel to attack me when you don't get your way."

From the corner, one of Elphaba's flying monkeys gave a screech of annoyance at being called a mongrel, but didn't dare make a move without his mistress' command. Reflecting her minion's annoyance, Elphaba threw a fireball at Blue, who deftly blocked it and shouted at her.

"Stop this madness!"

Blue was already burned from earlier fireballs that she hadn't been able to block. She was also covered in slashes and bruises inflicted on her by Elphaba and her flying monkey. It was a miracle - even to her - that she could stand.

"No matter how much you torture me, I will _not_ do your bidding!"

"I've been able to see straight through you for as long as I've known you, Blue, and I know what you plan to do. However, I have plans of my own, and you're just an interference. One way or another, you _will_ do what I tell you."

"Or else what?"

Elphaba's leer only grew. "Or else I could punish you myself for tainting our kind-"

"What do you mean, _'our_ kind'?" Blue snapped. "You're not a fairy, but a witch and aren't you supposed to be dead? I thought Dorothy the girl-child killed you!"

"Looks can be deceiving and deaths can be faked." Using magic, Elphaba sent Blue careening into a nearby wall. "That is what happens to little girls who interrupt their elders; now be quiet!"

Incensed and seeing stars, Blue got right back up to stand her ground. While she herself was one of the two oldest residents to walk the Enchanted Forest at five hundred years old, Elphaba was more than a millennia old.

"I should punish you right now for letting your precious Green for tainting the magical races with a child who is half human!"

"My daughter's name is _Tinker Bell, _you old bat, and who are you to talk about being human? A long time ago, all witches were human!"

_SMACK!_

Elphaba hit Blue across the cheek with her bare hand this time. "Shut _up,_ little girl, and do as I say, or else I will start your punishment by inflicting a human pregnancy on you!"

Blue suddenly felt nauseas, although she didn't know if it was from being slapped or from the idea of something as barbaric as having a baby grow inside her body.

"Do your worst."

Elphaba narrowed her eyes; she'd always known that Blue was a hothead, but now she was making it too easy.

"Go in the next room and put an end to the suffering of Green."

"I will do no such thing! She's my _child, _and she's in more _pain, agony_ and _fear_ than I am right now, and she's got two little babies who could come _any_ week now! I was wrong to keep her babies from growing for so long and I was even _more_ wrong to conceal just how big they are, but I can't keep _this_ up any longer! I will _not _standby and let her get hurt any more!"

"You disgust me."

Elphaba beat Blue even more.

"Disobedient children must be punished."

The next thing Blue knew, she was drifting into unconsciousness.

Her time was running out.


	24. Zoe Jane

**Almost all of these chapter titles are names of songs that I like ;) **

* * *

Killian, Olivia-Dove and Lanying made an unlikely trio, but even as they travelled together, the pirate wondered what Tinker Bell, Emma, Regina or even Belle would say if they could see him now.

That was only one of the many thoughts going through his brain, though.

Another was what exactly he was going to do with the girls if he ended up gaining guardianship of them today. He was already fond of them, but since his main goal was to return them to their mothers, this meant that he'd have to actually act like a parent and keep the girls out of harm's way until the task was achieved.

Yet another thought creeping through Killian's brain was if Tinker Bell would let him be part of the twins' lives.

Redemption was also hot on his mind because even for a pirate as long-lived as he was, he had more sins to atone for than he cared to admit, but now that Tinker Bell was back in his life, carrying very precious cargo and now that he knew the truth about Belle, he finally had a good reason to clean his act up for good. He had a family.

Looking after Olivia-Dove and Lanying would be a right step in the direction of proving himself to his loved ones.

* * *

After about twenty minutes of traveling, they arrived at a small forest village, complete with a small spread of cottages, a well in the small village square, and even a pub.

"Is this your village, little loves?" Killian asked his companions.

"Yeah!" Lanying scoffed. "I _said_ I'd get us here!"

Killian suppressed a laugh - Lanying was the sassiest child he'd ever met.

"Fair enough. Would you be so kind as to show me where you and Olivia-Dove lived with Enya?"

In response, Lanying pointed at the pub. It wasn't particularly attractive; in fact, it looked like the kind that would not welcome children.

To Olivia-Dove's great dismay, Killian dismounted the horse and tied its reigns to a reign-post just outside the pub.

"We _all_ have to go in?"

"I'm certainly not going to leave you two out here."

She weighed his words in her mind, but when she spoke, she was actually worried. "Could I show you something?"

"Alright."

Olivia-Dove pulled back the sleeves on her dress to reveal a series of bruises up and down her arm, some old and yellowing, others purple and fresh.

"I tried to heal them with my magic, but that hurt…"

Killian did his best to conceal his anger at the injustice enacted against the sweet little child and pulled her sleeve back down over her arm.

"Did she do this to you?"

Olivia-Dove nodded sadly. "She said that my magic is disgusting because I'm so small, and that I should just be normal."

"I think you having magic is neat because it makes you one of a kind, like a green butterfly. Do you know how hard those are to find?"

"No..."

"Let's put it this way - one could go until they're quite old without seeing one, but when they finally do, it'll be the best thing that's ever happened to them."

Olivia-Dove perked up and reached for Killian. "Will you hold me?"

Killian went from barely concealed inner anger to melting inwardly because with each passing moment, talking to Olivia-Dove was like talking to a miniature version of Belle. He also didn't have the willpower to say no to her, so he lifted her off the horse and held her in his arms before turning to Lanying.

"And where would a pirate be without his bravest warrior?"

"But I'm teeny-tiny." Lanying huffed. "Enya said I was too little to do any chores."

"You _are_ small - that much is true, darling - but you're also a child who should only worry about having fun."

"What about protecting Livvie?"

"Aye, that's also something you should think about of it's important to you-"

"It is!"

"Good, good. That's very good." Killian wrapped his free arm around Lanying in a hug. "There is, however, one thing that Enya didn't say - the best gifts come in the smallest of packages."

Lanying blushed and giggled, clearly understanding the compliment and after that, she let Killian set her on the ground. So as to keep as close as possible to him, she held onto Killian's hook and looked up at him with an intense amount of affection.

"I'm so glad that you came to save us."

Killian said something nice in return but wasn't really sure what it was.

Lanying had called him their _savior._

He'd never been called _that_ before.

* * *

Enya was easy enough to spot. She was the attractive large-busted woman behind the bar, polishing a large collection of drinking glasses. Her dress was plain, but she also had orange hair and bright green eyes, two things that would've made Killian want to jump her bones on the spot, back in his wilder days.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Killian Jones himself would come through the doors of my establishment," Enya's tone changed to a sneer she spotted the girls when they walked up to the bar. "Although I certainly wouldn't have expected you to come here with the two mistakes that I tried to get rid of..."

"About that." Killian set Olivia-Dove on the floor by the bar and she quickly scurried to safety with Lanying. "What makes you think it's alright to leave two small children _alone_ in the _woods?" _

"They were useless for housework, and they cried all the time. I punished them for being pests and I even warned them plenty of times that if they didn't stop, I'd leave them in the woods for awhile to teach them a lesson."

"How did the children even come to _be_ in your care?"

Enya purposefully took her time in answering, enjoying Killian's anger a little too much. "Some soldiers were wandering through these parts with Olivia-Dove in tow. They were supposed to be collecting her for someone, but by the time they got here, she was positively unmanageable, using her magic to hurl _fireballs_ at them, of all things."

"When exactly did you tell Olivia-Dove that her magic is 'disgusting'?"

"The moment the soldiers departed after paying me fifty shekels for her. They were desperate."

Killian became repulsed, but said nothing, so Enya continued.

"Nobody else would take her, but I said I would if they gave me money. You're a pirate, and a well-known one, at that. Why is all of this bothering you?"

"Because I still know _barbarism_ when I see it."

The pub door opened to reveal more customers, and after promising them that she wouldn't be long, Enya gave Killian a scowl.

"Are you done yet? Time is money."

"Just answer this: where did Lanying come from?"

"Nobody knows, and she never said a peep about it. She just showed up at the border one day, made friends with Olivia-Dove, and now they're as thick as thieves."

Across the room, the other patrons called out again, demanding service.

"Look: I no longer have use for the girls and if you'd like to look after a child with attachment issues and another who posses unholy magic, then be my guest and take them off my hands."

Enya left the bar, leaving Killian slightly dazed and confused. The bartender was the first truly reprehensible person he'd encountered in awhile, and his instinct told him to go after her, but his good conscience (which sounded an awful lot like Belle) was reminding him that he'd also just gained two new wars and that they were more important than anything else.

Killian ushered the girls outside before stooping down to their level to talk to them. "I don't know if either of you were paying much attention to my chat with Enya just now, but something good came of it - if the two of you like, we can start right this minute on a grand adventure to bring you back to your mothers."

Olivia-Dove gave a delighted squeal, which Killian took as a yes, but Lanying hesitated.

"Enya really doesn't want us?"

"That's the truth, yes." Killian confirmed.

"But _you_ do?"

"Indeed."

"Are we going to have to call you papa, or anything?"

"Not if you don't want to."

In high spirits, Olivia-Dove tacked on her own idea. "We can call him Uncle Killian since he likes us, knows our names and wants to protect us!"

Lanying decided that this was acceptable and finally let herself smile again. "Then let's go, Uncle Killian! Let's go have an adventure!"


	25. This Is Not The End

Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora were still camped out in the area where Snow White and the others had appeared, but camping out in the wilderness, finding a new spot every few days was the new normal for them now.

Ever since they'd moved into their palace in hopes to restore it, they'd hit a series of stumbling blocks, the biggest of which was that while Aurora had been asleep, her subjects had lost their king and queen - Aurora's parents - to sickness. During the aftermath, the kingdom fell to waste and the people had started governing themselves because they hadn't been baking on Aurora ever waking up.

In the long run, Phillip and Aurora ended up fleeing their home for their own safety and been wandering the countryside for awhile now. Poor Aurora had bigger woes on her mind than Phillip had on his, beginning with their recent encounter with a seer.

* * *

"Aurora, my love, why are you crying?"

After adding a pile of kindling to their fire, Phillip had checked on Aurora to see nestled in a pile of blankets and pillows with one hand resting on her curved middle while she used the other hand to wipe her fast-falling tears.

"Is this to be our fate, Phillip? Are we to just wander until _it_ happens? I know neither of us wants to die until we've lived long enough to see our grandchildren, but no matter how crazy a seer is, or how insane the words are that she speaks, the words _will_ come to pass. Now I just wish I had magic to undo her words and keep the babies inside me until everything was good again."

Not even two days prior, Aurora and Phillip had bumped into a seer who told them that Aurora was actually carrying two babies, and also that she or Phillip would not live past the first few hours of their babies' lives.

"I'm just as frightened as you are and I love you so much, but it's like you said - every seer's word is law, even if their kind's reigning trademark is being as mad as a March hare."

Phillip held Aurora in his arms and put a hand next to hers on top of the swell, marveling over how their children were tucked away safely, not yet ready to be interrupted by the world.

"I also think that we should start preparing for the inevitable."

Aurora broke down all over again. "But where are we going to _go?_ Your parents disowned you for falling in love with me because you're so much older, so we can't go there. Our home was overthrown and the subjects will try to assassinate me if we return, Snow and Charming are off on their own quest and _their_ palace is being occupied by _her…_ even _Avonlea_ has completely fallen, and is now referred to as the Badlands!"

"We'll figure something out because we always do, and whichever one of us remains, we'll be sure to tell Skye and Juniper all about the other parent."

Aurora became distracted at the mention of baby names. "You already chose the name Juniper, so I get to pick the other name, remember?"

"So if not Skye, than what?"

"River. The other baby will called River."

"That's far more beautiful than Skye. Well done."

Phillip moved to kiss her, but she shied away, forcing him to use another tactic.

"Aurora, what if we got married and sailed off to a land where nobody knows us?"

"Because we've already run away once. Running away for something like _that_ would seriously wound my pride," She answered shortly. "And I've already told you why I'm perfectly content to be your companion."

It was worth a try, Phillip thought.

"Because of Mulan."

"Exactly."

"You said you love her as much as you love me, but I'm still trying to figure out how that's even possible."

Aurora rolled her eyes theatrically. "Phillip, she literally found my heart after it was taken, held it in her hands and put it back in my chest. Something like that can literally leave a mark or even a feeling on one's being, and I don't know if it was intentional or not, but she imparted so much genuine _love_ on me! How could I _not_ love her even a _little_ bit after that, especially after she's protected me, fought for me and even stood up for me the way a lover would?"

"I suppose it would be impossible. You really love her, don't you?"

"I really do, and now that I look back on the day she left to join Robin Hood's band, I think she'd come to confess her feelings, but I was just so excited about our news that she didn't even get a chance to say anything."

Aurora regarded Phillip with a large amount of scrutiny.

"Be completely honest with me - have you ever loved Mulan in any capacity?"

"Yes, actually, but it's because we fought many scoundrels and thieves together, and we were all each other had as company for months while we were looking for you. It took awhile, but the feeling was mutual on her part. We never acted on the feelings for obvious reasons, and because she was aching over some kind of heartbreak she didn't want to talk about it. You said you wanted complete honesty here?"

"Yes."

"Even after all this time, my heart is eternally bound to yours, but there's part of it that, for whatever mysterious reason, has always been bound to hers, too."

Aurora furrowed her eyebrows. "When Mulan and I were first traveling together I thought she was only helping me look for you because she'd had some kind of affair with you, but when I confronted her about it, she denied it."

"But knowing her the way you've come to...?"

"I think she was trying to deflect the romantic feelings. What if we used the time we have left together to track down Robin Hood and his band since Mulan said she was going to be joining them?"

"And then what? Ask her if she loves both of us equally?"

"Yes."

"Back up a moment - how are you not upset that I've loved another woman the way I loved you?"

"Because the world is a very strange and mysterious place. If it was any woman besides her, I'd have some choice words for you right now."

Aurora fell quiet, so Phillip guided her face to his.

"Please tell me what you're thinking."

"You said that when you were traveling with Mulan, she was fresh off a heartbreak she wouldn't talk about?"

"Precisely."

"I know what happened to her." Aurora sighed sadly at the memory. "She comes from a land called China and back there, she's a widow. Not only that, but her husband was killed in the greatest war their entire land ever saw. Mulan was - or maybe still is - a high ranking member of society akin to royalty because her husband was a premier war general."

"Then what brought Mulan _here?"_

"She has a little girl named Lanying whom she sent over here on advice from the Blue Fairy, to keep her safe during the war."

"And it's over now, isn't it?"

"It is, but now Mulan can't find any trace of the Blue Fairy or Lanying anywhere. Mulan just wants to be with her child again." Aurora's eyes welled up in sympathy. "When we locate her, even if she doesn't return our feelings, we should try to help her find Lanying."

"I like that idea… and something's just occurred to me."

"Oh?"

"If everything works out-"

_"That_ would take a real miracle."

Phillip laughed and quickly stole a kiss from Aurora. "True enough, but if everything works out and she doesn't want to go home, should we invite Mulan and Lanying to officially be part of the family?"

The princess was able to answer without hesitation. "Absolutely."

The second the confirmation escaped her lips, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders and that she could even breathe easier.

This was not the end for her family.


	26. Frozen

**The name of this chapter has nothing to do with the movie; it's another song I like and at some point, I will post some kind of playlist for your benefit ;) **

* * *

Back in another part of the realm, Belle and Mulan had taken a break in the journey already because Belle had just been hit with another mental image that disturbed her so much, it had resulted in her bursting into tears and hyperventilating.

Mulan had been deep in thought about finding her daughter and her loves when it happened, but she was quick to help Belle off their horse and help her find a place to sit so she could calm down and regulate her breathing.

* * *

"Just focus, Belle. Focus on the sound of my voice."

Belle nodded to let Mulan know she'd heard her, but she was mostly focusing on trying to wrap her mind around what she'd just seen. It was a few moments before she felt comfortable speaking again.

"I just had a vision about my mother."

"What did you see? Is she still hurt?"

"She looked like she was hurt worse, but at least she hasn't gone into labor yet."

"Then what was new this time?"

"I-I know where she is!"

"Where?"

"She's in _Avonlea,_ in one of the dungeons of the castle I grew up in!"

Mulan didn't waste any time voicing her first thought. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but in the time that you've been away from this land, Avonlea has been abandoned. It still stands, but all of its inhabitants have been either slaughtered or chased out by the ogres in those parts. Nobody goes there anymore, and it's referred to as the _Badlands_ now!"

The glare that Belle responded with would've had Mulan dead on the spot if looks could kill, so the warrior scrambled to think of how to fix it.

"But we will because that's where Tinker Bell is, and she's your mother."

"Smooth, Mulan. Smooth." Belle tried to sound confident, but her words tailed off on a shaky sigh. "She isn't the only prisoner that Elphaba has over there."

"Who else is there?"

"The Blue Fairy... at least that's what she's called h- what's wrong?"

Now the warrior was the one on the ground, looking distant and ashen. With only a little difficulty because her baby bump threw her slightly off balance, Belle managed to sit next to Mulan and give her a back rub.

"Alright, so you clearly know Blue. What's going on?"

Mulan had to force herself to speak. "When we traveled together last time, did I tell you that I'm also a mother?"

"You did, yes. You also mentioned having a husband at one point."

"My daughter's father never got a chance to find out about her because I discovered my pregnancy after Li left to command his troops, and I didn't want to risk him getting distracted with that knowledge. I especially couldn't risk any kind of message being intercepted by the wrong person."

"You had to protect your daughter, and doing that in times of war is especially difficult. The love a mother has for her child runs deep, but sometimes, love can mean _sacrifice."_

"Exactly," Mulan agreed. "And even though Li was my husband, it was more a marriage of convenience because my family desperately needed the money."

Not for the first time, Belle found herself wondering how old Mulan really was. "Did you at least have a good dowry?"

"Yes, thankfully. My family had been putting it together since before I was born, so by the time I reached marrying age and paid a visit to the matchmaker, they were able to profit heavily off it."

"Then if you were just married for the sake of convenience and saving your family, were you and Li just friends?"

"Yes, we were 'just friends,' as you put it, and since Li was always very busy with his war duties, he was kind enough to leave me to my own devices. The only reason we even tried for a baby was because Li's father really wanted at least one grandchild."

Mulan became sad again.

"Li's mother and grandmother really didn't like me because I'm from such a poor house, or that Li's father protected me and treated me like his own daughter, since I had to be away from the family I was born into. The same day we received word that Li and his father had died in battle, Hong and Yan banished me from the house. Permanently."

"Even though you were _pregnant?"_

"Even then. The Blue Fairy found me in an abandoned barn when I was in labor, and she helped me deliver her. To show my thanks, I named my daughter after her - Lanying."

Hearing the foreign name, Belle plowed through her vast knowledge of the Chinese language. "That means 'blue glitter,' or 'blue quartz,' depending on the translation, right?"

"Very good. I parted ways with Lanying just after she turned three, when there was no end in sight for the war. Blue never explained why, but she decided to stay with us and travel with us for those three years. The turning point that made me realize that Lanying was no longer safe was when we found out that my home village had been burned to the ground by enemy forces, and that there no survivors; everyone I'd _ever_ known and loved was just gone. I had to get Lanying out as quickly as possible."

"I completely understand." Belle sympathized, thinking of Olivia-Dove. "Did Blue offer to bring Lanying to the Enchated Forest?"

"Yes, and she promised to care for her until I could come for her."

"Then how long have you been here?"

"I honestly can't tell because I arrived before time started again, so I have no way of knowing if Lanying is a grown woman now or if she remains the darling, curious three-year-old that she was when I last saw her. I pray to the gods that she wasn't touched by any harmful magic, but that if she was, that she's healthy and safe... wherever she is."

Both women fell quiet for a brief moment, not wanting to let the other see them be the first to weep over their missing daughters. Mulan was the first to speak, and it was with renewed vigor.

"When we reach the castle, I will ask the Blue Fairy to help me look for Lanying if the two of them aren't together."

Belle almost hesitated in answering. "I didn't see Lanying there, but for all we know, she could be in another part of the castle."

"Then I will ask Blue to help me look for my daughter." Mulan repeated.

"Why does your tone suggest that you have other thoughts on your mind?"

"My heart is telling me that as wonderful as Blue was to me, I should still be wary of her."

"Tinker Bell has warned me before to also be wary of her, but I find it a hard thing to do because Blue is my mother's mother."

The princess let out a chuckle as she waited for Mulan to do the math, and when she did, the tension broke immediately. "So if you're Tinker Bell's daughter, and she's Blue's daughter, doesn't that make you a third-generation fairy?"

"Yes, and all my biological children will be fourth-generation fairies."

Belle stared straight into Mulan's eyes.

"I understand again where you're coming from with wanting to find a lost child because I have my own who I want back more than anything now, but if Lanying isn't with Blue, you must not go crazy and try to kill my grandmother."

"Fine," Mulan huffed. "But I've spent far too much time without my daughter, and I'll admit that once I find her, my next goal is find Aurora and Phillip, to back to them."

Belle tilted her head to the side, studying her friend. "What do you mean, 'go back'?"

Mulan decided that this was neither the time nor place to explain that she was in love with two people who were already in love with each other, so she stood up and dusted herself off before she helped Belle to her own feet.

"Never mind that. Now that we know that your family is in the Badlands, we will change course and travel for a few more hours before we stop for the night. Will you be able to manage, with your condition and all?"

Belle nodded and then smiled as she felt her baby wiggle around inside her. "I'll be fine; I'm ready to go when you are."

And so they continued on.


	27. Fragile

Blue was alarmingly skillful at disguising her true intentions - and even her true crazy personality - because she'd never been keen on anyone figuring her plans for world domination, but ever since Emma Swan had shown up in Storybrooke with people subsequently waking up from Regina's curse, there had been some people who had started becoming wary of Blue, no matter how far under the radar she operated.

It was awful of her to think, but now that she was in the new post-apocalyptic Enchanted Forest, she had a clean slate of sorts because the only people here who really knew what she was up to, or were just suspicious of her totaled to three: Elphaba, Belle and Tinker Bell.

* * *

Blue had no idea where Elphaba or even Belle were at the moment, but Tinker Bell was in plain sight, just on the other side of the metal bars that were dividing their cells. Tinker Bell hadn't said a word to her mother, but she was very touched that she'd stood up to Elphaba, defying her orders of murder.

Tinker Bell was even touched and a little proud to see that Blue was strong enough to put aside her magic and endure every last injury Elphaba had inflicted on her as punishment for her defiance. Weakened though she was, Blue was determined to be the bigger person and initiate a reconciliation process, so she made her way to the bars and leaned against them to talk to her daughter.

* * *

"Is it supposed to hurt?" Tinker Bell asked before Blue got a word out.

"Is what supposed to hurt?"

The fairy in green arched her back. "Regrowing wings."

Blue gasped when she looked at her daughter's back because one, a fine set of gossamer wings had sprouted in place of Tinker Bell's old ones that had been stripped from her so long ago, and two, never in her life had Blue seen wings on a fairy while they were big.

"I honestly don't know; I'm sorry."

"The pain is dull, but it's underlying and constant."

Tinker Bell moaned uncomfortably, trying to find a good spot on the hard cold floor.

"It reminds me of my labor with Belle, and that was all kinds of unpleasant."

Now it was Blue's turn to squirm; no matter how many times she'd thought about it or dealt with expectant mothers in the Enchanted Forest or Storybrooke, the concept of human pregnancy really grossed her out.

"Just keep talking to me. I'm not going anywhere, and even if I could, I wouldn't go without you."

"Why are you being so nice to me, Blue?"

"Because you're my child, and no matter what, I will _always_ love you."

Tinker Bell leaned against the bars a little more. "Maybe one day, I'll be able to say those three words back to you."

"I'm very patient," (that was perhaps the biggest understatement Blue had ever made about herself) "But let's just focus on you for now."

"I wish my family was here. I know Killian and Belle are far from friends, but I'd still have the love of my life and my firstborn with me. I don't know how much longer I can function without them."

"But at least you have your babies, right?"

Tinker Belle nodded and cradled her belly, looking sad. "I can still sense them, but I haven't felt them kick since we materialized here."

"Is that important?"

"At this particular stage, it's their physical way of letting me know that they're there… I literally wouldn't be able to handle it if anything happened to the babies before they were born."

Blue wasn't sure if it was compassion or pity that was behind what happened next, but she reached through the bars and touched a hand to her daughter's big belly, releasing a large sure of magic to it.

"What are you doing?"

Tinker Bell tried to sound agitated, but she couldn't when she suddenly felt like a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Despite what you think, I'm not heartless." Blue said gently; the fact that she was choosing to heal her grandbabies instead of herself already showed she was willing to repair her relationship with her daughter. "You want your children to be healthy and strong when you hold them for the first time, so I'm just giving them a little nudge in the right direction."

Again, Blue was unsure as to why, but her usually-guarded heart was beginning to melt and she almost don't know what to handle the overflowing love she was feeling towards her daughter.

Tinker Bell held her mother's hand and even gave her a smile. "Thank you, Blue."

The two of them sat in silence, actually enjoying each other's company for the first time in centuries, but it was disrupted when Tinker Bell emitted a soft "Oh!" before bursting into happy tears.

Naturally, Blue was bewildered. "What? What is it?"

"The babies are kicking, and they're kicking hard!"

In the blink of an eye, Tinker Bell went from tears to gasps and giggles as she tracked her hands methodically across the top of her belly. Still bewildered, Blue kept channeling her magic to the twins, but she soon understood her daughter's joy: one baby was lazing around, running its elbows and knees just under their palms while the bottom twin was happily kicking away.

Blue looked at Tinker Bell in wonder. "Is this what it feels like to have a little one growing inside you - or two, in this case?"

"Uh-huh. The beginning and the tail end can be dreadful, but the moments like this make it worth it. So is the moment when you hold them for the first time."

"But you only knew Belle as a baby outside the womb for less than an hour."

"Yeah, but I've also gotten to see amazing and beautiful woman that she's become, and I'm so proud of her… I just wish I could tell her."

"You _will_ see her again."

Tinker Bell wasn't really listening because the bottom twin had kicked her extra hard and now she was rubbing the area. "No, no, my tiny love. You need to be gentle and stay inside there for now with your little brother or sister. It's not time to join us yet."

Meanwhile, Blue was caught up in her own thoughts. "Elphaba threatened to inflict me with a human pregnancy because I wouldn't hurt you."

"That's true… and thank you for not hurting me. I should very much like to live to see my love and all three of our children in the same room together."

"You will see them again, and if it means keeping you and the babies protected, I'll accept the affliction." Blue's tone softened slightly. "Tinker Bell, will you look at me?"

Tinker Bell did as she was told and nearly cried when Blue looked at her with the utmost amount of motherly love.

"I know you'll understand this because of what you did for Belle, but love is sacrifice. I'll accept Elphaba's threat if it means keeping everyone safe... and I suppose it means you'd get a sibling."

Tinker Bell's heart leapt because the one thing she always wanted after fixing her family was a sibling… three hundred and twenty-one year age gap or not.

"Thank you so much, and the first step is to accept my hypothetical sibling as a blessing, not an affli-"

"HEY! JUST _WHAT_ DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Elphaba had returned from wherever she'd been and the second she'd spotted mother and daughter conversing, she wrenched Blue away with magic, making her smash into the opposite wall. Blue was almost unconscious immediately, but Tinker Bell was wide awake and horrified.

"Leave her alone, you old bat! Just leave her alone!"

Elphaba glared at her.

"Auntie, please!" Tinker Bell sobbed. _"Please!" _

Her cries fell on deaf ears when Elphaba constructed a solid rock wall between the two parties and was advancing on Blue, who was desperately trying to gain her bearings before she stood up to defend herself. The old fairy had never been so injured in her life and knew herself well enough to know how resilient she was, but this was getting ridiculous with how badly Elphaba wanted to kill her.

"I'll be good and do anything if you stop torturing us!"

"No! She needs to be punished for letting you fornicate with the pirate to make your unholy hybrid of a daughter!" Elphaba barked. "Since you seem so swept up with outlandish things like human pregnancy, then here you go!"

A burst of green light flashed in front of Blue's eyes and when it cleared, she let out an involuntary soft grunt and looked down at her midsection to see that it had suddenly grown a big baby bump… complete with a live near full-term baby moving around inside, stretching out and testing its confines.

I'm doing this for Tinker Bell, thought Blue as she tentatively touched her hands to her new belly. I'm doing this for my daughter because I love her.

* * *

On the other side of the wall, Tinker Bell had no idea what was happening between her mother and her aunt, but it didn't matter because all she could feel was the pain from her wing regrowth and her injuries, as she came down from her adrenaline high. Her wings were also beating rapidly, like they were trying to remember how to work.

The only thing that kept her from hitting rock bottom was that the twins were as happy and healthy as could be, despite the current situation.

Even still, she cried out for the one person she was sure could save them.

_Belle._


	28. Keep Holding On

After a day of travel and a run-in with muggers, Belle and Mulan reached a particular village on the Avonlea border that had always marked 'the point of no return' for anyone who went through it on their travels. It was also dark when they arrived, so Belle held their lamp aloft as she rode on Phillipe the horse while Mulan guided the animal by the reigns.

Neither the warrior nor the princess had escaped their mugging unscathed, but now Belle had magic going haywire in her body, and it was affecting her.

* * *

"Mulan, I'm getting tired now. I would like to get down."

Ever since the bandits had robbed them of all their food, Mulan had insisted Belle ride horseback.

"That would be unwise. You need to stay on Phillipe's back where I know you'll be safe."

"My magic has activated itself _now,_ of all times, and it's putting a drain on me."

As Belle stretched out, she felt her stomach rumble and that caused the baby to wiggle around in a frenzy.

"Mulan, please? The baby is getting hungry."

Caving, the warrior helped Belle off the horse and kept her steady until she regained her footing.

"Something feels weird." Belle remarked as she held the lamp high to look at their surroundings. "This is the village of Southwood, but I've never seen it so empty."

"I _did_ warn you that this area has been emptied because of the ogres…"

Belle spotted a lamp shining in the window of a small cottage at the end of the lane and nodded towards it. "Not entirely empty."

Mulan glanced at the cottage and then locked eyes with Belle. "We have no way of knowing if the people there are friendly or not."

"How did you get this far in your life and make it through so much heartache without taking a leap of faith?"

"I will have you _know_ that I was a married mother turned widow and then banished while you were still in your castle, Belle. Entrusting Lanying - my _pride_ and my _joy_ - to a fairy who just happened to show up when I needed someone and who never _once_ explained _why_ or _how_ she'd found me in the first place has been the biggest leap of faith I've ever taken in my entire life!"

Mulan's outburst sobered Belle up immediately, but before she could apologize, she let out a massive sneeze and a shot of golden pixie dust shot out of her her nose and hit the ground, causing bush of roses to appear at her feet. Belle sneezed again and she, Mulan and Phillipe had backtracked ten whole feet.

"Can we _please_ go investigate that house? If those people are hospitable, perhaps they'll feed us and if at happens, the baby will settle and stop making me sneeze fairy dust."

* * *

When they finally arrived, it was Mulan who knocked on the front door and a moment later, it opened to reveal a husband wand wife, both in sleeping clothes. "We are so sorry to wake you at such a late hour, but we're passing through and in need of shelter or food, whichever you could spare."

The husband held up the lamp from the front window to study the newcomers.

"You, I don't know," he said to Mulan before turning to Belle. "But you, I do. Princess Belle, is that you?"

"In the flesh, and this is my friend and companion, Fa Mulan."

Wide awake now, the husband snapped to attention. "My name is Onyx, and you two are welcome to stay as long as you need. If you'd like, I can put your horse in the stable for the night with our horses and feed him."

Mulan thanked Onyx and handed Phillipe's reigns to him. The second man and horse disappeared around the corner of the house, Belle held her own lantern aloft to get a better look at Onyx's wife, who until now had been keeping her face hidden underneath the hooded cloak she was wearing over her nightgown.

Belle felt something familiar about the cloak, especially its deep red color.

"Oh, my gods." Belle's knees almost buckled. "Ruby?"

The woman pulled back her hood and Belle felt her heart jump when she recognized her old friend. In another universe, if things had worked out different for whatever reason, Belle had always known that Ruby would be the only other person she would happily spend the rest of her life with.

"H-how is this even possible?"

Instead of the usual dazzling smile that Ruby had, she seemed a little bothered. "Come quick - there isn't much time."

Startled, Belle and Mulan followed obediently and were soon inside the cottage, sitting side-by-side on the bed at Ruby's insistence because she had no other soft furniture to offer them. They watched as Ruby stoked the dying fire, almost upset that the it wasn't up to par.

"Alright, enough of your skittishness."

Concentrating, Belle gestured towards the hearth and immediately erupted into a hearty roaring fire.

"Ruby, what are you doing here? Does anybody know that you're in this land?"

The woman in red looked at Belle with wide eyes, hung up on what had just happened with the fire. "How did you do that?"

"That's not important right now. What are you doing here, and why are you so scared of Onyx? The Ruby I know wouldn't be like this."

"The Ruby you know has changed."

"If Onyx tries to harm you, I will protect you." Mulan offered. "Anyone who is a friend of Belle's is a new friend of mine."

Ruby thanked Mulan and then spoke hurriedly.

"Over a year ago, Elphaba the witch took me from Storybrooke and cursed everyone there to slowly forget me. I guess it worked." (Belle tried not to look to guilty) "When I arrived here, I found myself stuck in a marriage with Onyx."

"Do you love him?" Belle wanted to know.

Ruby shook her head. "I haven't had another Great Love since Peter died, but Onyx has always assumed that we've been married."

"So he doesn't even know where you've been?"

"Exactly. He knows about what I am and resents me for it, but he won't leave because our children."

Belle couldn't help but smile. "You have children, Ruby?"

"Mhm, and one of them I think you from Storybrooke."

Belle wondered what that could possibly mean, but before she could even start to think it out, she saw a girl around Henry's age emerge from a smaller bedroom off to the right, and she had a baby in her arms.

"We woke up again, mother."

Ruby rose and met her daughter halfway, taking the baby in her own arms. "Thank you, Grace, and guess what?"

"Hmm?"

"We have some visitors who will be staying with us for the night." Ruby nodded in their direction. "We have Fa Mulan, who is from a far-off land, and we also have Belle."

Grace let out a happy cry and rushed over to Belle immediately; back in Storybrooke, Grace could always be found in the library, curled up a cushioned chair with a stack of books next to her while she pored over a classic or even an almanac. Belle had always had a soft spot for her because Grace reminded her so much of herself at that age, and Grace liked Belle right back.

The only thing was that even after the curse broke, Ruby had never said anything about having children and the one parent of Grace's that everybody knew of was Jefferson, the Mad Hatter. Clearly, there was a deeper story to be told, but this wasn't the time, so Belle chose to embrace Grace.

"Hello, sweet friend. It's really good to see you."

"I missed you, Belle. Did you miss me?"

"Very much."

Belle kissed Grace's forehead and happily welcomed her into her embrace. Trying to keep from going to pieces as she thought of her own daughter, Mulan tore her eyes away from the two friends and spoke to Ruby, regarding the baby.

"Who is this little one?"

"My other daughter, Miracle."

Even at this early stage of her life, little Miracle already bore a strong resemblance to her mother, including the scrutinizing look she gave while studying Mulan and Belle.

"Silly baby." Ruby kissed her daughter's cheek, attempting to draw a smile out. "Miri, these are my friends."

Miri finally decided Mulan and Ruby weren't threats and leaned her head against Ruby's shoulder, yawning heavily and looking content. Ruby's mood soon matched Miracle's and she started swaying her body side to side in an effort to lull her offspring back to sleep.

"Miracle is five months old, and she normally sleeps through the night, but the moon is full tonight."

Mulan had known of Ruby's existence before tonight through stories that Belle told - and vice versa - so she already understood the impact that the moon cycle had on Ruby's life.

"Does she turn...?"

"Thankfully no, and neither does Grace, but both of them still feel the tug on their instincts. I feel it even now, but I have to keep the cloak on because I don't want to hurt the girls."

Hearing this, Belle rejoined the conversation. "Why can't you take them and leave Southwood? Ruby, you're so much stronger than this."

"I know, Belle." She sighed sadly and tried in vain to change the subject. "What are you and Mulan doing in these parts?"

"It's a long story, but the short of it is that Regina transported the people of Storybrooke back to the Enchanted Forest… including Granny."

Ruby wanted to cry. "I'd give anything to see her again and to have her meet the girls, but I can't go. After I got here, Onyx forbade me to leave Southwood."

"Because of the ogres?"

"Yes, and not even two days later, the Blue Fairy appeared to me and instructed me not to go anywhere because you come through here one day with Mulan, and you two would need help to get there."

"After what you've said about Onyx, I don't want him to overhear because I have a feeling that he'd try to stop us and that's the last thing we need."

Ruby was more intrigued than ever but put her game face on. "He will be leaving for the marketplace at first light. You can tell me after he goes, and Grace and I will do what we can to help you on your way after that. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything for you, Ruby."

"Please come back for us once you're done with whatever it is you're going to do. The Blue Fairy's instructions will be fulfilled when you leave here, which means that the girls and I will be able to actually leave."

"We'll be back for you all on the first chance we get." Belle promised as Mulan nodded emphatically. "I never go back on my word."

For the first time in ages, Ruby was able to feel some kind of relief. "Thank you both for giving me something back that I thought I'd lost."

"What's that?"

"Hope."


	29. Gotta Serve Somebody

**Note to Grace: you can stop breathing into a paper bag, my sweet. I'm a hardcore Rumbelle shipper, but I like the idea of RedBeauty, plus I'm too much of a romantic sap to deprive Belle of being with Rumple. I have ideas for Ruby - whom I love - but I won't tell because spoilers. Keep calm and breathe on ;) xo **

* * *

The quiet moment was disrupted by Onyx when he came in from the stable and fussed at Ruby for not having their guests properly fed yet. Since Mulan was closest in proximity to Ruby, she got to hold Miracle while Ruby got the food ready.

It was very strange to see Mulan with a maternal side, but it showed when she held Miracle and talked to her. Much to Belle's amazement, Miracle even warmed up Mulan and was happily nestled against her, yawning and rubbing her eyes in no time flat.

"Mulan, you're such a natural with babies. How old _are_ you?"

"Now? I think nineteen, because I had Lanying at an age when I had no business in childbearing, but I had to because I had to abide by my culture's customs. Lanying and I both would died if Blue hadn't been there to help during the birthing process."

"How do you forget something like your age, though?"

"When you've seen and experienced what I have, your priorities tend to get rearranged."

Miracle let out a sneeze that startled her, so Mulan walked around the room with her, talking to her in soothing tones.

Belle, meanwhile, had a newfound respect for her friend because there she was - younger than her, yet standing taller and stronger in the face of everyone and everything she'd lost. If Mulan could be that strong, then Belle decided that she could strive to be like that for herself so she could find Tinker Bell, Blue and even Rumplestiltskin.

Even though everyone else believed it, Belle wouldn't believe even for a second that the sorcerer was truly dead because he was way too clever to have let that morning in the street be the final end for him.

"I know it isn't much, but here you go."

Belle came back to reality when she realized a hot bowl of stew and a spoon was being pressed into her hands.

"This is perfect, Ruby. Thank you." Belle reassured her as she accepted the items. "We were robbed of all of our food earlier, so I'm very grateful for anything edible, especially since I'm eating for two now."

If it hadn't been for Onyx cutting in and 'reminding' his wife that Mulan also needed serving, Ruby would've hugged Belle, but so as not incur Onyx's wrath, Ruby went back to the big pot hanging over the hearth.

As Belle ate, she could feel the baby finally settling down and that relieved her because it meant he or she would be fed and the sneezing of the fairy dust would stop.

"You'll see, little one." She told the baby. "It can only get better from here."

* * *

Belle's words rang true because they awoke in the morning to find that Onyx had already left for the marketplace, just as Ruby said he would. The princess made quick work of explaining what was going on, including why they were back in the Enchanted Forest to begin with.

"But what was that with the fire last night?" Ruby asked when Belle was done. "You used _magic_ to ignite it. Is there something you've never told me?"

"Yes and no, but only because I didn't know until recently. It turns out that I was adopted at birth because my mother wanted me to have a better chance not only to live but survive. If I went to my mother's home realm, I'd be killed on the spot just for existing."

"That's drastic."

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

"Then who are your parents?"

"This won't be easy to say any time soon, but my father is Killian Jones. Remember him?"

"Only because he made frequent passes at me since Lacey wouldn't leave him alone for awhile."

"Lacey only went after him with the intent to teach him a lesson about hitting on every woman he decided was worth pursuing." Belle turned beet red at the memories. "We had no idea we were related until recently because of my mother, who decided to keep everything a secret in case the wrong people found me."

"If your father is Killian Jones the pirate, then your mother is just as interesting, isn't she?"

"My mother is Tinker Bell the fairy."

"That explains where the magic came from."

Belle nodded. "I'm still getting the hang of it, but at least the baby isn't making me sneeze any more fairy dust. For now."

Feeling that the conversation was getting too far off course, Mulan steered it back in the right direction. "Tinker Bell has been kidnapped, Ruby, and so has the Blue Fairy. Both of them are in the dungeons of Belle's childhood home, and they're being tortured."

Ruby felt ill because she'd never been able to condone killing or torture, no matter how violent her wolf side made her, but this was Belle's _family_ they were talking about. Even though Ruby and Belle had only known each other in Storybrooke, their friendship ran very deep.

"Who's torturing them?"

"According to Belle, it's Elphaba, and if I'm doing the math right, she is Belle's great-aunt."

"I'll try to figure the family tree out later." Ruby caught Miracle before she fell out of her lap and handed her the toy she was reaching for. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Tinker Bell is heavily pregnant with twins, and she could give birth any week now."

"I wouldn't be surprised if we found Blue in a similar state." Belle said softly. "Foresight is her thing, but from what I've heard, Auntie Elphaba has never been alright with me being half human."

"Elphaba would punish Blue with a baby?" Ruby asked. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah. My family is very strange."

"No kidding." Ruby turned to Mulan. "What's your stake in this quest, or whatever it is?"

"Besides knowing the lay of the land and being Belle's bodyguard, I need to find Blue because she will be able to help me find my little girl. Belle's, too, no doubt."

Now Ruby felt like she was having a sensory overload because of all the new information she was processing in one sitting, but she still listened to the abridged versions of what had happened to Lanying and Olivia-Dove. Her heart wept for her friends' losses.

"I really understand why you two came all the way out here and I commend you for it because that kind of bravery is admirable."

Ruby stood, fashioned a baby sling along around herself with a nearby bolt of cloth and tucked Miracle into it.

"I'm sure you two would like to get going as quickly as possible, so Grace and I will go pack you some fresh supplies."

From her perch at the window where she'd been gazing at the path leading out of Southwood, Grace looked up at the mention of her name.

"You want my help?"

"Most definitely."

Grace was a girl who craved adventure and that was one thing that Ruby most feared.

"Come on."

Grace followed Ruby to an exterior pantry-type room while Belle and Mulan headed outside to prep Phillipe for the next leg of their journey.

This was going to be a long day.


	30. Ever After

While Belle and Mulan got Phillipe ready to go, Ruby and Grace went to the pantry.

At first, they said nothing as Grace helped Ruby fill up a big burlap sack with food and provisions, but the silence quickly grew too grinding for Ruby to handle.

* * *

"Okay, Grace. Out with it."

The girl feigned innocence. "Out with what?"

"I see it in your eyes - you want adventure."

"More than anything." She set the sack on a nearby countertop. "I want to have adventures like you had with Snow and Charming when they were taking back the kingdom!"

"You're _thirteen,_ and those are stories from when I was _already_ grown! Just where is it you want to go?"

Grace fell silent again, and Ruby was able to put the pieces together.

"Oh, Gracie, no." Ruby shook her head. "Please, no."

"I can't stay here forever!"

"So you want to go off somewhere dangerous, on a quest? We're not in Storybrooke anymore!"

"Papa would've let me go!"

Ruby immediately felt a sting in her heart at Grace's remark and for lack of anything better to do with her hands, she cradled Miracle in her arms, just to feel the little one moving against her.

The werewolf's fling with Jefferson had happened before she met Peter, and Grace had been the result of it. Ruby had always liked Jefferson as a person, but she could never love him because of an eerie crazed air he'd had about him. The turning point had been after Jefferson had learned the truth about Ruby's true side and had taken Grace away to 'protect' her. Ruby was never able to forgive Jefferson for that, but even still, he hadn't deserved to have been murdered by Elphaba...

"I know he would have, but I'm not him, am I?"

"After Queen Regina trapped papa in Wonderland, I stayed at our cottage and I took care of myself until the curse brought us to Storybrooke!"

Ruby gaped at her. "You _did?" _

"Yes. I even took fencing lessons after school, and Henry and I played in the park all the time, using his wooden swords to practice our sword-fighting skills!"

"That's a valid point, but you're still my Gracie-girl, and I've missed so much of your life already..."

Grace chose her words carefully. "So it may mean danger, embarking on a quest with Belle and Mulan, but-"

"No." Ruby shook her head with more vigor this time. "It's one thing to go to the marketplace alone, but to follow those two to the _Badlands_ bodes _ill_ because it means an uncertain fate!"

"Anyone who isn't equipped with foresight has an uncertain fate, but Belle and Mulan are going to need me."

"What makes you so sure if you haven't even asked them yet?"

"Because I was listening when Belle talked about her baby, how Tinker Bell is going to be having twins and even how Mother Superior might be having one, too. I also heard Mulan say something about how she and Belle have little girls they haven't seen in awhile. All of those children _will_ need minding, and I'm especially good at taking care of babies."

Grace wasn't wrong. Just recently, Ruby had recovered from a really bad fever that forced her to have Grace take care of Miracle all on her own until Ruby got better. Onyx hadn't even been around at the time, already having been gone on an "extended trip" to the marketplace.

"You _do_ have a magic touch with Miri..."

"I was there when Mother Superior appeared, and she didn't say that I can't leave Southwood."

Ruby knew she fighting a losing battle, so she tried another tactic. "Onyx will have a fit if he sees that you've gone."

"This from the werewolf with _superhuman_ strength? Why not let the wolf show him who's boss?"

"Grace Diamond, even if I wasn't in control of the wolf, I could never condone _murder!" _

"It doesn't have to come down to _that,_ but what about standing up for yourself like Belle knows you can, or be like how you were when you were helping to take back the kingdom?"

Grace was wise beyond her years, and Ruby couldn't be prouder of her than she already was. She knew as well as Grace did that she had it in her to be strong, but after being traumatized by Jefferson's murder and then spending over a year being shoved around and belittled by Onyx, she'd come to gain a new, distorted perception of herself. It was unhealthy, but now she had new motivation to fight it, to find someone who would love her for who she was and who would want to be a father to the girls, too.

Ruby pulled her firstborn close and kissed her on the crown of her head. "I'll get better, Grace, I promise. I'll get better and stronger for you and Miri. I'll even let you go _if_ Belle and Mulan say it's alright."

"We actually _will_ need an extra person to mind the children."

Ruby and Grace turned around to see the two women in were standing in the pantry doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?" asked Ruby.

"Long enough to hear your promise." Belle answered.

"We'll take care of Grace."

"She and Miri are _all_ I have right now…"

"We'll protect her." Mulan reiterated in a vow. "Who would Grace be safer to travel with than two mothers who know their ways around swords and fighting?"

Ruby sighed heavily, blinking back her tears and looked at Grace. "There will be time for last goodbyes in a little while. I'll go pack your things while you get Zoltan ready."

Zoltan was Grace's horse.

"Alright."

Without much further thought, Grace went outside and the second the door shut behind her, Ruby handed Miracle to Mulan and sank into the nearest chair, crying already. Letting Grace go after having her back for less than a year-and-a-half was going to be one of the hardest things Ruby would ever have to do in her entire life.

It was just as Granny, and even Anita - in the short time Ruby had been reunited with her - had said: love is sacrifice.

* * *

Meanwhile, over by the coast, Killian and the girls were marveling over a beautiful welcome sight: the Jolly Roger.

After another day of traveling, they'd encountered an abandoned seaside village and spotted the ship at the docks. Killian was creeped out that the whole place was empty, but the girls' enthusiasm was enough to both distract him and melt his heart.

"Is that really _your_ ship?" Olivia-Dove asked in awe. "She's really, _really_ big and _so_ beautiful!"

"Has she been in battles?" Lanying pressed as she waved her wooden sword at an imaginary foe. "Tell us another story about you and your Tinker Bell! _Please,_ Uncle Killian?"

"I'm glad that you're impressed, little love, but the stories will have to wait."

Lanying shrugged and brandished her sword again. "Am I holding this righter?"

Now Killian was a puddle and straightened the little girl's posture and sword arm ever so slightly. "You're doing wonderfully."

Pleased, Lanying continued to fight off pretend villains while Olivia-Dove now stood stock-still with a hand fisted tightly in the cloth of Killian's jacket. The pirate followed her gaze to see two new people approaching, laden down with a horse and supplies. Killian recognized the first person as Princess Aurora, and deduced the second person to be her fiancé, Prince Phillip.

This was going to he interesting. Aurora had always thought Killian to be an idiot - to put it mildly, even though Mulan was a heavy influence on that - and although Killian didn't know Phillip yet, he had a feeling that he'd duel him if he so much as looked in the princess' direction for too long.

All Killian wanted was to have his family back in one piece. Was that too much to ask?


End file.
